Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has stated that it is not the right time to discuss a potential Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury fight following Fury’s recent defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Both Joshua and Fury suffered setbacks in 2024, in December, Fury was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in seven months, failing once again to claim the unified heavyweight titles from the Ukrainian. The loss marked another setback for the “Gypsy King.”
Similarly, Anthony Joshua suffered a brutal knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in an IBF title bout in September, leaving both British heavyweights without championship belts.
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Hearn, however, remains cautious.
“It’s literally the fight that every casual fan in the UK wants,” Hearn said in an interview with The Stomping Ground on Monday. “It’s the biggest fight in boxing commercially, and when people say it’s not… Tell me a bigger fight; there isn’t one.
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“I don’t know if it’s gonna happen. There’s been no discussions. Fury’s just coming off that defeat, and at some point after his break, he’s gonna turn around and decide what he wants to do. If he wants to fight AJ, the fight happens immediately. We’ll see.”
Hearn emphasised the importance of allowing Fury time to recover: “I don’t think it’s the time to start prodding Tyson Fury. Don’t forget, he lost on 21 December, so give him a few weeks [to] chill out.”
Meanwhile, the boxing calendar continues to take shape with Dubois set to face Joseph Parker in February. Hearn suggested that plans for Joshua’s next steps will take form soon.
“Sooner or later in the coming weeks, we will want to put a plan together for Anthony Joshua. That is when the conversation will come with Frank Warren [Fury’s promoter], Spencer Brown [Fury’s manager], and His Excellency [Saudi adviser Turki Al-Sheikh]. And we’ll say: ‘Look, we want to make AJ-Fury, what do you think?’”
Joshua, according to Hearn, remains focused on reclaiming a world title: “AJ wants to become world heavyweight champion again, no doubt. He really wants to rematch Dubois, but he also understands the size of the Fury fight.”
While a Joshua vs. Fury fight remains a highly anticipated event, Hearn stressed the importance of allowing for proper planning and negotiations.
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