Anthony Joshua Comments On Potential Fury Fight, Eddie Hearn Discusses Joshua’s Future
There has been a lot of talk and rumors regarding Tyson Fury’s return to the world of boxing. However, Anthony Joshua believes that the British boxer will only make his return to boxing when a huge fight is presented to him.
The two-time former champion is on course to lock horns against Oleksandr Usyk in an August rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Joshua was outbattled by the Ukrainian boxer in London last September, relinquishing the WBA Super, IBF, IBO, and WBO titles simultaneously at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
As he now focuses on clinching the belts for the third time in his career, the British boxer reckons that Fury will only return to the ring if a fight with huge financial backing comes around the corner.
“If Fury would honor the boxers’ agreement and come out of retirement because ultimately, going back to boxing, what is at my core? It’s about the money,” Joshua said.
“If Fury will come out and honor the gentleman’s agreement there is a lot of money to be made. I know that money could help a lot of people as well,”.
Fury has enjoyed memorable wins in his recent fights, including a win over Dillian Whyte in front of a record-breaking crowd at the Wembley Stadium. He stopped the Brixton fighter in six rounds in front of a crowd of 94,000 fans in attendance.
However, Joshua still is not convinced that we have seen the last of Fury.
“I feel retirement doesn’t mean you have completely given up and you are on the beach clicking your toes and drinking a bottle of Corona.
“I feel he is still ticking over, and he will come back if the right fight is presented to him.”
Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has also made it clear that the upcoming fight with Usyk won’t be the last time we see Joshua either.
With the way recent events have gone by in the boxing world, it seems like people have forgotten how long Anthony Joshua hasn’t stepped foot into the ring.
The British boxer not fought more than twice in one year since 2016. Moreover, the former two-time heavyweight champion has participated in one fight each in 2020 and 2021 respectively. The COVID-19 pandemic couldn’t have come at the worst possible time for AJ, as he had to stop his physical activity completely.
Now, as he approaches his rematch against Usyk on August 20, Hearn states that Joshua will be competing again in December regardless of the result in Saudi Arabia.
Even if he loses his rematch against the Ukrainian boxer, there are still a handful of opportunities for future fights. He has the possibility of competing against Deontay Wilder, Andy Ruiz, Joe Joyce, and Tyson Fury respectively.
“One of the problems we’ve had with AJ is of course activity,” Hearn said in speaking once again with IFL TV. “A lot of that is down to Covid, a lot of that is because he only fights twice a year. The one thing he wants more than anything is activity and December will definitely be his next fight.”