The biggest fight of the boxing calendar may not happen after all
Eddie Hearn has responded to sensational claims that Anthony Joshua's clash with Tyson Fury may not go ahead this summer.
Joshua and Fury were due to take to the ring on August 14th in Saudi Arabia, with Matchroom boss Hearn and fellow promoter Frank Warren both confirming the news.
Speaking to
Sky Sports last week, Eddie Hearn said the fight was being handled by the same people responsible for Anthony Joshua's first bout with Andy Ruiz.
Hearn said: "It's a lot of money and we've done this before [...] We know the magnitude of the people we are dealing with.
"We're probably a little bit more comfortable than they are, because they are new to this, and I get that, so we have to make them comfortable. Of course, financially, we need to make sure that everything is in order, everything is secure."
It looked as if Joshua and Fury were both glad to see an end to negotiations, too.
Joshua tweeted that he was "tired" of all the talk, and wanted "more action".
https://twitter.com/anthonyjoshua/status/1391869555887202306?s=20
Fury hit back, telling Joshua to "come get some".
https://twitter.com/Tyson_Fury/status/1391912559830306820?s=20
Boxing fans across the globe have been waiting for official confirmation, but now it seems the fight may not occur on August 14 after all.
Late last night, a civil court judge in the USA ruled that Tyson Fury owes Deontay Wilder a third fight before September.
This understandably plunges the Fury-Joshua fight into serious doubt, and no one seems more frustrated than Eddie Hearn.
In a video interview posted to Matchroom's official social channels, Hearn responded to claims that the fight wouldn't go ahead.
https://twitter.com/DAZNBoxing/status/1394638328734044165?s=20
Hearn said: "It was a shock to the system. These negotiations have been going on for three or four months now and we were always assured that this [Wilder's court hearing] wouldn't be a problem. We have to see now where they go with it."
The Matchroom boss added that he has a Plan B and C in the pipeline, should Fury and Joshua not go head-to-head as planned.
"The only fight we had our minds on was Tyson Fury and we hope that fight can still take place on August 14th. The game changed last night where we have to have a Plan B in place, and probably a Plan C, and we have a couple of different options.
"The one that springs to mind immediately is the WBO mandatory, Oleksandr Usyk. They've been quite patient and I think we're in a situation now where if Team Fury don't get their act together by the end of this week, we will have no option but to look for an alternative fight.
"AJ wants to fight this summer. Oleksandr Usyk is the mandatory. We have two or three other options as well."
In partnership with DAZN, Eddie Hearn recently sat down with JOE to discuss the Fury-Joshua fight, future of British boxing and criticism the sport has faced from Dana White and Conor McGregor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxiYF2E_tMg
