Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua could fight a tune-up before the end of this year to get him ready for a clash against Tyson Fury in the “summer or autumn’ of 2026.
Turki’s Role: When Riyadh Pulls the Strings
The Matchroom promoter Hearn doesn’t know for a fact that Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) will agree to fight him, but he notes that Turki Alalshikh is interested in making the match. He states that what Turki wants, he usually gets.
Who Fits the Tune-Up Blueprint?
“If he fights this year, I think it will be a smaller fight. Maybe it’s someone you never heard of. When we fight Tyson Fury, we need to beat him because that’s the most important fight of his [Joshua] career. We have to win. We can’t lose to Tyson Fury,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about Anthony Joshua needing to be ready for ‘The Gypsy King’ by taking a possible tune-up before the end of 2025.
Hearn wasn’t ready to name any of the fighters that he could use as Joshua’s tune-up opponent before the end of the year. It would make sense for him to choose a taller heavyweight if the idea is to prepare him for the 6’8″ Fury in mid-2026.
Joshua’s inactivity, age, and the brutal knockout he suffered in his last fight against Daniel Dubois in September 2024 make it essential that Hearn doesn’t match him against someone a little too powerful. The problem is, whoever AJ fights, they’re going to be amped up, fighting at their best, and will be swinging for the fences, trying for a knockout. They’ll definitely be targeting his head.
Hearn Floats Africa — or Jake Paul — Before Fury
“Next summer or autumn,” said Hearn about when Joshua can face Fury. “We can fight in Africa. We can fight Jake Paul, but AJ wants to fight Tyson Fury.”
$160 Million Reasons to Stay Retired
It’s still questionable whether Hearn will be able to produce Fury for a fight against Joshua next year or anytime. Fury is too rich, and he’s obviously an eccentric. With the estimated fortune of $160 million, there’s no incentive for Tyson to risk his hide coming out of his mansion to fight a big puncher like Joshua.
The 281-lb Fury looked like a flabby shell of the fighter he once was in his 12-round unanimous decision loss to Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on December 21, 2024. Tyson has obviously watched that fight and noted how he’s deteriorated physically, which could factor into his decision not to come out of retirement to face Joshua in what Hearn calls “The battle of Britain.”
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