Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, hopes Tyson Fury will defeat Oleksandr Usyk in the rematch and become undisputed heavyweight champion so that AJ can fight him in a huge match-up.
Hearn wants Fury to win, but he knows deep down it’s unlikely to happen. His vision of a mega-fight between Fury and Joshua isn’t looking good.
Pricing the Dud
Hearn says a fight between Joshua and Fury can happen, even if the Gyspy King loses the rematch with Usyk. That would taint the fight in the eyes of boxing fans, especially if they’re charged through the roof to purchase the Fury vs. Joshua fight on PPV.
Who in their right mind would want to purchase a Fury-Joshua fight after a washed-up Fury coming off another beating with Usyk?
If they peddle a Fury-Joshua fight under that scenario, with Fury coming off of back-to-back losses, they need to price the fight so it’ll sell. Hearn and Fury’s promoter will need to price it accordingly. Making it a freebie would work, but that ain’t going to do it.
Fury’ Washed Up at 35?
It would be better if Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) avenged his loss to Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs), but that might be a little too much to hope for because the 35-year-old Gysky King looked old, washed, and needed to be saved by the referee in the ninth round.
Watching the referee twice get in Usyk’s way during the ninth round made it clear that he wouldn’t be able to knockout Fury. In a rematch, it would be a different referee, and it’s unlikely we would see a situation where Fury would be protected when Usyk starts putting it on him.
Hearn’s Hedging His Bets
“We’re only a few days off the back of it. It takes time to accept defeat. It takes time to realize your injuries and lick your wounds. So we’ll see how things play out,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Tyson Fury.
As you can see, Hearn’s already backpedaling, talking about Fury needing time to lick his wounds and accept his loss. That’s code for Hearn being worried that Fury is going to get beaten again by Usyk, and that’ll mess up his vision thing of a match between Tyson and AJ.
“If you’re Tyson Fury, you’re going to want another crack at Oleksandr Usyk,” Hearn continued. “It was a great fight. The rematch will be a huge fight. For AJ, he wants to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
“So, I think he needs to stay focused on whoever he fights next,” said Hearn about Anthony Joshua. “He’d love to fight Fury next. He’d love to fight Usyk. If not, it could be the winner of Hrgovic-Dubois next week. He’s ready for all comers.
“It takes a lot out of both men, especially at the ages they are, particularly Oleksandr Usyk,” said Hearn when asked how much the Fury vs. Usyk fight took out of both fighters.
“Both of them gave a lot that night and probably lost a little bit of their soul in the process, but both are great fighters and two true warriors.
A Pipe Dream Fades
“I do. Whether Fury or loses the rematch, I think we’ll see that fight,” said Hearn when asked if he believes the Fury vs. Joshua fight will still eventually happen.
“Obviously, we wanted Tyson Fury to win. I do think he can win the rematch, and that would be the ideal scenario,” said Hearn, hoping Fury will defeat Usyk in the rematch so the Fury-Joshua fight can happen.”
Hearn stubbornly believes the Fury-Joshua fight will happen, regardless of what happens with the rematch with Usyk. If Fury is beaten, the fight with AJ won’t be the big one that Hearn had hoped it would be. It would be the equivalent of an old-timer’s celebrity match.
