Eddie Hearn has backtracked on his initial comments made towards Tyson Fury in an urgent attempt to set up a fight with Anthony Joshua, and will now wait.
Tyson Fury reminded Anthony Joshua’s boxing promoter Eddie Hearn that it’s not possible for the two British boxers to fight until he’s faced Oleksandr Usyk twice, due to contractual obligations. Hearn has since acknowledged Fury’s comments and stated that no decision will be made over Joshua’s next fight until Fury and Usyk face off on May 18 – but if Plan A falls through, he seemingly agrees with Fury’s alternative.
Fury was called out by Hearn in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Friday night, moments after Joshua knocked out Francis Ngannou.
Joshua had already knocked down Ngannou twice before delivering a brutal knockout in the second round, one that left the former UFC champion needing oxygen as he slowly regained consciousness on the canvas.
Fury was ringside for the event, watching brother Roman win his fourth professional fight as he featured on the undercard. He was quickly asked for his thoughts after the main event.
Fury and Joshua have been in talks over a fight for years, and with the ‘Gypsy King’ in attendance Hearn used the opportunity to reopen negotiations. Hearn stated after Joshua’s second-round win that he’s been speaking to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh about hosting a potential fight against Fury, and is still hopeful it will happen in the future.
Hearn begged Fury to beat Usyk on May 18 to set up a fight with Joshua, but Fury stated live on DAZN that they have a two-fight contract in place. Fury then suggested that Joshua fights Filip Hrgovic while he focuses on Usyk, as the vacant IBF heavyweight world title will be up for grabs.
While fighting Fury is the top priority, Hearn has acknowledged that fighting Hrgovic is a possibility for Joshua, as Fury himself suggested.
Hrgovic is the mandatory challenger for the belt due to being the No. 1 ranked contender, and would have fought the winner of Fury vs Usyk under different circumstances. Fury and Usyk will have all four belts (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO) on the line when they fight in May, but due to their rematch clause the IBF title will soon be forfeited.
Should Fury lose for the first time in his career, it could spoil a potential all-British fight with Joshua if his legacy takes a knock. An even series could set up a decisive third fight, similar to the trilogy Fury had with Deontay Wilder, although their first bout was ruled a draw.
