Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn has broken his silence on a report that a mega heavyweight showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been agreed
Eddie Hearn has dismissed claims a mega showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has been finalised. Fury will step back into the ring on April 11 after a 15-month absence to face Russian-born heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov in a bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, a report emerged over the weekend claiming that a blockbuster fight between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua had been agreed. It was claimed that the duo had agreed terms for a fight that would take place later this year or early next year.
But when asked about the report, Hearn told The Stomping Ground: “It’s completely untrue. There is absolutely nothing signed with Anthony Joshua to fight Tyson Fury next. There is nothing agreed.”
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
The Matchroom chief then continued: “There has been conversations and deep conversations prior to the accident that he was going to fight Jake Paul, then he was gonna fight in February or March in Saudi Arabia, then he was gonna fight Tyson Fury.
“Again, nothing signed, and then obviously the accident happened. Since then, there has been no conversations really, about that fight, other than in the last few days, conversations with Dr Rakan, Sela, starting to think about revisiting the plan.
“And I will go into camp with Anthony Joshua next week, when he starts, and we will start having conversations about what is next.”
Fury revealed last month that the deaths of two of Joshua’s friends in a car crash in December were the catalyst for his return to boxing. Joshua’s personal trainer, Latif Ayodele, and strength coach, Sina Ghami, died on December 29 after their vehicle collided with a stationary lorry near Lagos, Nigeria, while Joshua was treated in hospital for his injuries.
The crash occurred weeks after former heavyweight champion Joshua stopped YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami. In his first public video since the incident in January, an emotional Joshua said he knew what he would be doing next, without giving any firm details.
“Tomorrow might not ever come and I suppose the biggest turning point in this comeback for me was the tragedy that happened with Anthony Joshua,” Fury said.
“I was on holiday with my family in Thailand for Christmas just to get away from the rain. I was sick of the rain, it was depressing me and then I hear all about the bad news that’s gone on and I thought, ‘You know what, life is very, very short and very precious and very fragile and anything can happen at any given moment’.
“You should never put things off until tomorrow, or next year, or next week because tomorrow is not promised to nobody. The Bible says tomorrow is not a gift, tomorrow ain’t promised, tomorrow is a mystery so we have to live for today.
“Me living for that day, I made my mind up there and then I was going to come back to boxing because it’s something I love, I am passionate about and I have always been in love with. There is no tomorrow so that’s why I am back today.”