Eddie Hearn has predicted that Tyson Fury could still fight against Anthony Joshua despite a breakdown in talks between Fury and his client in September.
Talks started promisingly between Joshua and Fury, with contracts reportedly being exchanged before Fury issued an ultimatum which was not met by Joshua's team. Fury was reported to be keen on facing 'AJ' on either November 26th or December 3rd, just over three months after Joshua's loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Failure to agree a deal with Joshua has led Fury to make a deal to fight against Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3rd. The fight against Chisora is a surprise, with the 38-year-old the 14th ranked contender for Fury's WBC belt having lost three of his last five fights.
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Joshua, meanwhile, is expected to face Dillian Whyte next, with Eddie Hearn committing to making that fight. However, he has predicted that a fight against Fury may lie ahead for Joshua after quotes from the self-styled 'Gypsy King' suggesting he may return to negotiations with the Londoner before changing his stance,
“I don’t think I can retire today because I need that Joshua fight. We have been trying to make that fight for years. It’s the fight that people want to see,” Fury said last week. “It’s the fight that I want to see as a boxing fan. I think it would be an absolute dying travesty if me and Joshua didn’t fight in this era.”
This was followed up by comments this week, with Fury saying that he's fought his biggest fight against Deontay Wilder: “I don’t fight cowards; I only fight real men,” he insisted. “So, to say that’s a glamour fight? No way. My glamour fight was fighting the 43-0 Deontay Wilder in America.”
Following these comments, Eddie Hearn expressed his confusion, saying that the magnitude of the fight could mean that a fight against Joshua rather than Usyk next year would be possible. “Two or three days ago he said he couldn’t retire unless he fought AJ, and he needs that fight badly.
“You’re seeing now from the social media responses, people are starting to come to terms with it doesn’t really make sense what he’s saying. Let him go on.” He added. “Maybe he fights AJ instead of Usyk. I wouldn’t even be surprised. That fight’s so big with AJ that sometimes you just get together and you make the fight instantly,”
Fury remains unbeaten and would be committed to fighting whoever the WBC decide should be his next opponent. Earlier this month, the governing body ordered that the top two ranked contenders Andy Ruiz Jr. and Wilder should face each other to become the mandatory challenger for Fury's title.
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