Hearn says both heavyweights have signed agreements for November, but July tune-up fights now carry massive risk
Eddie Hearn says the planned Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury heavyweight fight will collapse if either man loses a scheduled warm-up bout this summer. Hearn confirmed both fighters have signed agreements for the long-awaited clash, with Joshua returning July 25 in Saudi Arabia before Fury takes a tune-up of his own.
“In my opinion, if either fighter loses, you cannot do the fight,” said Hearn to Sky Sports. “I will feel sick at the ringwalk on July 25. Especially with what AJ’s come back from. I mean, there is that worry. Will he be the same? Everything we see in camp and in sparring lends us to suggest yes. But there’s a lot to overcome. That’s the importance of this fight as well in July.
“Now we have signed to fight Tyson Fury. He has signed to fight Anthony Joshua. The only thing that stands in the way is July 25.”
Hearn believes Fury could even appear on the same Riyadh card as Joshua, although he expects the former WBC heavyweight champion to take a lower-risk opponent while focusing on getting to the main event later this year.
“We don’t have a problem with that. That’s down to Turki to see where he wants to land. It might be difficult for Fury to go underneath Joshua on that card I don’t know,” said Hearn.
“I don’t think he is going to be having a fight of any significance, even not the likes of Makhmudov. I don’t even think they’d have a fight at that level. They’ve got to do what they’ve got to do. They’ve just had 12 good rounds, and we look forward to hopefully less rounds than that, but going through the gears and warming up for the big one.
“I think everybody’s extremely focused, now that both fighters have signed, on just getting through the next couple of months and making sure we can give the world this mega-event.”
Hearn also expects Fury to attend Joshua’s July 25 return if plans remain on course for the November showdown.
“I’d be shocked if he wasn’t in Riyadh on July 25. Because that’s the moment,” said Hearn. “They’ve never come face to face. When they come face to face for the first time, it will give every sports fans the shivers. Because this is something they will never forget.”