By Scott Gilfoid: Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that there’s a possibility that former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua could retire after his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Hearn says win or lose, Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs) might hang up his gloves after the Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs).
Hearn keeps blabbering about Joshua retiring. Is this a move by Hearn to drum up ticket sales and PPV buys or has Joshua been whispering in his ear about wanting to call it quits?
Joshua’s career will be in a bad state if he loses Ruiz rematch
This isn’t the first time that Hearn has mentioned the possibility of Joshua, 29, hanging up the gloves, and it makes fans wonder whether there’s some worry there for the Matchroom promoter. Hearn is speaking the obvious when he mentions retirement as a possibility for AJ after he fights Ruiz. I mean, what else can Joshua do if he gets smashed to bits by Ruiz a second time. For the last three years, Joshua’s whole thing is for him to be the #1 heavyweight in boxing. If he can’t do that, it would seem that we could see Joshua ready to pick up his marbles and go home.
Would Joshua be seen as a quitter? I’d say that’s a big YES, but he’s not the type that would be able to handle being #2 at heavyweight. Heck, you couldn’t even say that Joshua is #2 at heavyweight after a second loss to Ruiz. He’d be viewed as behind unbeaten WBC champion Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury. You might have to put Joshua behind unbeaten talent Oleksandr Usyk. That would be the unkindest cut of all for AJ, wouldn’t it? Being put behind a newbie at heavyweight.
Hearn: Joshua might retire after Ruiz rematch
“Yeah, for sure,” said Hearn when asked if he would like to put the Joshua vs. Ruiz rematch winner against Deontay Wilder next if Wilder-Fury rematch doesn’t happen in February. “The only focus is for Joshua to win the fight against Ruiz. I think if Ruiz were to win, then [Al] Haymon would try to make the fight with Wilder ASAP [as soon as possible]. If AJ was to win, who knows what he will do. He might retire. All our focus is on beating Andy Ruiz, and becoming the unified world heavyweight champion again.
If he beats Ruiz, then he’s bigger than before he lost to Ruiz. Let’s just beat Andy Ruiz first.
I just want Joshua to win this fight. He may retire after the fight,” said Hearn to IFL TV. “Who knows? Anything is possible. It’s a throwaway comment that you’re going to probably use as click bait. This is everything in this fight, so I want total focus. He wins this fight and he becomes the biggest thing in boxing,” said Hearn.
So there it is. Hearn has TWICE mentioned the possibility of Joshua retiring in two separate interviews. Why on earth would Hearn be talking retirement for AJ if there wasn’t a grain of truth in it, eh? As the saying goes, ‘where there’s smoke there’s fire.’ Who knows? Maybe it would be too hard for Joshua to carry on after a second loss to Ruiz. Hopefully, Joshua doesn’t disappear from society, grow a beard, and go live on a mountain in the wilderness if/when he loses to Ruiz a second time. That would be such a waste.
Hearn says Dillian Whyte not likely for Joshua-Ruiz undercard
I don’t think he’ll return for Diriyah, but I still feel the UKAD stuff needs to be announced and cleared,” said Hearn to Boxing Social about heavyweight Dillian Whyte. “But ultimately, he’s cleared and can fight tomorrow. But obviously people do what closure on that situation, and that’s what they’re working on now. At the moment, he hasn’t been banned, he hasn’t been punished, and he hasn’t been suspended. So right now there’s no reason to take his interim status away. So let’s get that final clarification out, and move forward,” said Hearn.
“Him and his lawyer is dealing with UKAD. We’re hoping for October,” said Hearn to IFL TV about Whyte. “He’s free to fight tomorrow, but I do think we need some kind of closure. The broadcasters do, the fans do. You have to ask me with every interview, and hoping that gets dealt with. He’s depressed, he’s down in the dumps, and he wants to get on with his career. He feels like he’s done nothing wrong, and we just got to get that out to the public, and move upwards and onward,” said Hearn about Whyte.
The fans want to know where Whyte’s B-sample is from his drug test. They’re still waiting for UKAD to produce it. Hearn is talking about October for when an announcement will finally be made. Boxing fans can’t wait to hear what they’re going to say. If Whyte were to return for the Joshua-Ruiz rematch undercard on December 7, there would be a lot of negative attention targeted towards Hearn if the results of his B-sample hadn’t been revealed by that time. It would be pure chaos potentially Whyte was on the card without UKAD having made their announcement.
