Eddie Hearn has made it crystal clear Anthony Joshua will fight with Tyson Fury no matter what goes down in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The much-hyped ‘Battle of Britain’ clash is still up in the air for now. Fury has engaged his rematch clause with Usyk after his split-decision loss to the Ukrainian in Saudi Arabia last weekend – and there could be a trilogy on the cards if he squares things away after his first career defeat.
With the Gypsy King also playing a game of will-he-won’t-he with retirement, there are some serious doubts about his future beyond Usyk. But chatting with iFL TV, Hearn was confident that he and AJ will eventually get it on in the squared circle, reports the Express.
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He said: “Firstly, it was a tremendous fight. We’re also only a few days off the back of it. It takes time to accept defeat, to realise your injuries, to lick your wounds, so we’ll see how everything plays out.
“If you’re Fury, you’re going to want another crack at Usyk. It was a great fight, the rematch will be a great fight. For AJ, he wants to become three-time heavyweight champion so I think he’s got to stay focused on whoever he fights next.
“[He would] love to fight Fury next, love to fight Usyk. If not, it could be the winner of [Filip] Hrgovic against [Daniel] Dubois next week. But ready for all comers.”
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Hearn was then pushed to confirm if he believes Fury vs AJ will come to fruition, replying: “I do, I do. Whether Fury wins or loses the rematch I think we’ll see that fight. But obviously we wanted him to win. I do think he can win the rematch, and that would be the ideal scenario.”
The boxing world’s attention will be now be turning to the Fury vs Usyk sequel set for October, with the potential of a third fight coming in spring next year. If that’s how it plays out, AJ’s going to have to wait until late 2025 for his shot at him.
After sending Francis Ngannou to the canvas in a second-round stunner back in March, he’s preparing to get back in the ring. He could be lined up for the winner of Hrgovic vs Dubois come September, with the IBF heavyweight crown potentially up for grabs if Usyk gets stripped of the belt.