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“He’s Terrified”: Eddie Hearn ‘Making Up Excuses’ To Keep Anthony Joshua Away From One Heavyweight

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Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn has been accused of protecting his man Anthony Joshua from one dangerous fight.

It’s fair to say that Joshua is now nearing the end of his career. The Brit is in his mid 30s and has had plenty of hard bouts and great success along the way.

‘AJ’ became world champion for the first time in 2016 when he knocked out Charles Martin inside two rounds, then unifying with wins over Joseph Parker and Wladimir Klitschko. The first setback came with an upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019, but was corrected with a rematch victory in December of the same year.

Eddie Hearn SLAMS criticism of Anthony Joshua and says Sky 'wouldn't be doing boxing' if it wasn't for Brit | The US Sun

READ: Derek Chisora vs Anthony Joshua was once unfathomable – here’s why it now makes sense

Joshua was again derailed in 2021 and 2022 when he lost back-to-back fights with Ukrainian slickster Oleksandr Usyk. Following four wins to get himself back in title contention, he was then stopped by Daniel Dubois inside five rounds in September in a failed attempt to become three-time world champion.

It recently emerged that Joshua was rumoured to be in talks with Martin Bakole about a huge fight in Africa. However, in a new post on X, Bakole’s trainer Billy Nelson accuses Hearn – who has guided the ‘AJ’s career since he turned over from the Olympics – of making up excuses so it doesn’t happen.

“I was bombarded with is Martin v AJ happening in Africa in October last night. My reply was: His excellency wants it, Martin wants it, AJ says he wants it, but big Eddie seems to be sh***ing his pants making up every excuse to avoid it. Big Ed knows”

Hearn and Joshua have always prided themselves on taking on all comers and, of the top heavyweights, his record does stand up well to that fact.

Though Joshua has often spoken about his interest in fighting in Africa, a contest with the in-form Bakole who knocked out hot American prospect Jarod Anderson in his last fight would be dangerous indeed.

He may instead wait for another chance to fight for a world title, while Bakole will take on Efe Ajagbe in an IBF eliminator next time out, a win guaranteeing him a shot at champion Dubois.

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Hearn Denies Joshua’s Next Fight Is With Wilder Or Bakole

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Anthony Joshua Deontay Wilder

Eddie Hearn has denied reports that Anthony Joshua’s next fight has been agreed with either Deontay Wilder or Martin Bakole. 

Joshua is expected to make his return to the ring in the summer. He is coming off the fourth defeat of his career after Daniel Dubois knocked him out in the fifth round. Joshua hit the canvas three times on his way to the stoppage defeat. There were negotiations over a rematch, but talks broke down as Dubois chose to face Joseph Parker. Dubois will face Parker on February 22. Joshua has been linked with a fight against Wilder for some time.

Talks initially began in 2018 when the fight could have been for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title. Joshua held the WBA, IBF and WBO belts, whilst Wilder held the WBC title. Reports indicated that Wilder’s team made a $50 million offer. Once again, talks broke down as both fighters moved on. Joshua would lose his belts, eventually to Oleksandr Usyk. Meanwhile, Wilder lost his WBC belt to Tyson Fury. Joshua and Wilder were meant to face off last year. They had signed a two fight deal.

Deontay Wilder Issues Bold Challenge to Anthony Joshua: "Your Time Is Up" – RingSide24

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This was dependent on Joshua and Wilder winning their next fights. Joshua defeated Otto Wallin, but Wilder came up short against Parker. He then chose to face Francis Ngannou, and Wilder took on Zhilei Zhang. Joshua stopped in Ngannou, but Wilder lost to Zhang, reducing the demand to see that fight. But following Joshua’s defeat, a fight with Wilder could make sense.

Joshua’s Future

The other alternative is a fight with Bakole. Bakole is consistently on record, stating that he has hurt Joshua in sparring. He secured the biggest win of his career when he stopped the-then undefeated Jared Anderson in his last fight. Bakole is expected to fight in May in his next bout. There were reports that a deal with Joshua had been agreed for a fight in Africa. Hearn has now dispelled any rumors of a Wilder or Bakole fight, leaving questions over where Joshua goes next.

Eddie Hearn Didn't Hesitate When Asked If Anthony Joshua Has Now 'Signed' To Fight Martin Bakole - Seconds Out

“The latest one that someone sent me on Saturday, saying, ‘Anthony Joshua vs. Martin Bakole is done, signed.’ We have not had one conversation about that fight. I’m not ruling it out, by the way, but it’s never even been a conversation. So, I don’t know where that came from. I saw one last night, ‘Wilder-Joshua is done for June 7th.’ [And] I’ve not had one conversation about that fight.

“[And] I spoke to AJ for the first time yesterday in a few weeks, and he’s actually in real good spirits. I think Martin Bakole is a very good fighter, but don’t get carried away that this is the new George Foreman. It’s always been the two – Tyson Fury – who is retired at the moment, we’ll see how long that lasts, and the winner of Dubois-Parker,” Hearn said of Joshua’s ideal next opponent,” Hearn said

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‘He is hurting’ – Eddie Hearn opens up on Anthony Joshua ‘struggles’ after crushing Daniel Dubois

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Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn has admitted to talkSPORT that Anthony Joshua is ‘hurting’ after his devastating defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois.

Joshua was knocked out by his fellow countryman in front of a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium in September.

It marked the fourth defeat of his professional career and his most damaging to date, with Dubois dropping Joshua four times en route to the eventual fifth-round stoppage.

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Several members of the boxing fraternity called for the two-time unified heavyweight champion to hang up his gloves immediately after the contest.

However, AJ came out a couple of days later and insisted he would continue fighting.

And according to Hearn, his future was never up for discussion.

Asked if Joshua ever considered retiring during an appearance on talkSPORT‘s White and Jordan show on Thursday afternoon, Hearn replied: “No, never, never.

“One because physically he feels good and he’s looking good.

“But also because when you suffer a loss like that the decision is not, ‘Shall we retire?’ It’s now about, ‘How do we look when we come back?'”

That isn’t to say that Joshua didn’t battle his own demons though.

“Honestly, I think after a fight like that, he is a very brave faced guy publicly, he wants to show you how to accept defeat humbly,” Hearn added.

“And I think a fighter off the back of a defeat a couple of weeks after they are generally okay.

“They go back to the gym, everyone is giving them a pat on the back and they are okay.

“But I would say he has struggled if I am honest. I always say to a fighter, ‘I want you to struggle, I want it to hurt really bad’.

“I don’t want AJ to go, ‘Oh well,’ and he’s never going to be that type of fighter.

“Yeah, he is hurting. He took a pasting at times in that fight and I think he has got his back up and he wants to come back stronger.

“I don’t think it is ever easy. The reason this sport is so compelling is because you are on your own in there.

“When you are scrambling on the floor to get up and hang on for dear life, time and time again it is very humbling and probably very humiliating.

“He had to go through that experience. He never stopped trying, he never stopped trying to get up till the point where he couldn’t get up.

“I think he showed a lot of heart but he got well beaten and he needs to go back and work out why.”

When Joshua suffered back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022, he rebuilt his career by knocking over multiple fringe-level contenders.

But Hearn insists that won’t be the case this time around.

In fact, the Matchroom Boxing chief believes there are only two fights left for his client.

“I mean, for us, obviously, talking to His Excellency, if Fury was to win, we have a chance to make Fury against AJ for the unified world heavyweight championship, which will be the biggest fight in the sport,” Hearn continued.

“If he loses, we still have the chance to make AJ against Fury.

“Maybe as a, ‘Go on, boys, go to war for two fights and then maybe sail off into the sunset.’

“Who knows? Or Tyson Fury could lose and you might never see him again. So for us, you know, with the AJ hat on, there’s only really two fights for him in boxing.

“One is a Daniel Dubois rematch and one is a Tyson Fury fight.

“I don’t think there’s interest in us having an interim fight or coming back against this guy in the top 15.

“But how many fights have we got left? Could be one, could be three, but it’s that range.”

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Eddie Hearn offers Anthony Joshua update amid surprise Daniel Dubois news

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Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn has predicted that Anthony Joshua will return to the ring in “May or June”, with the former champion set to miss out on February’s planned mega-card in Saudi Arabia.

Boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported this week that Daniel Dubois will defend the IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker on 22 February, with Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 among the other planned bouts in Riyadh.

Dubois’s first title defence came in September, when he knocked out Joshua at Wembley Stadium, and talk quickly turned to a rematch. But Joshua will have to wait to get his hands on his fellow Briton again, it seems – while Hearn suggested that AJ vs Fury could be an alternative move.

Eddie Hearn offers Anthony Joshua update amid surprise Daniel Dubois vs Joseph Parker reports | The Independent

READ: Tyson Fury on how he’s “More Skilled Than Anthony Joshua”

Fury is due to box on 21 December, aiming to avenge his May defeat by Oleksandr Usyk, as the pair vie for the Ukrainian’s unified titles.

“I think the camp will start at the beginning of next year now,” Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans. “There’s a lot of work to do for AJ. He’s very motivated, he’s had a good rest, and he’ll have another rest [in] December as well.

“I think you’ll see him back around May or June. For me, the two fights are Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury.

“Obviously we’ll be watching, he’ll be there ringside on 21 December, and I think it’ll be one of [Dubois and Fury] next. I always get asked every day, on the street, petrol stations, wherever it is: ‘When are we gonna see AJ against Fury? We don’t care about [Dubois and Usyk’s roles]; when are [Joshua and Fury] gonna fight each other?’

“I think win or lose [for Fury against Usyk], you’re going to see that fight. But we’d much rather Tyson Fury won, because he’d be world heavyweight champion again. Either way, I think we need to see that fight in 2025, and I believe we will.”

Usyk held the unified titles before taking the WBC belt from Fury in May, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in almost 25 years. He was then forced to vacate the IBF title, however, meaning Dubois was upgraded from interim champion to regular champion.

Should Usyk and Dubois win their upcoming fights, they could be set for an undisputed bout in 2025 – two years after the Ukrainian stopped the Briton in Poland.

That could open the door for Joshua to fight Fury, in a clash that has been desired by fans for years.

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[VIDEO] ‘ARROGANT LITTLE KID’ – HEARN BLASTS HANEY

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Hearn blasts Haney

Hearn blast Haney having a heated verbal confrontation. It is clear that both sides are not happy. Hearn disclosed that there was an issue over getting tickets for the fight. Haney texted Hearn for tickets on late notice.

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The Matchroom Boxing promoter replied that he did not have any to give out, given they had been already allocated. Hearn revealed that Haney should have contacted Riyadh Season to see if some tickets could be issued. That response did not receive a reply, but when Haney appeared at the arena, he let Hearn know how he felt about it. Hearn defended his stance as he slammed The Dream.

“So, at that point, we didn’t have the tickets. I said, ‘Look, it’s not solely our show. We’re just working on the event. You may have to ask Riyadh Season for the tickets.’ No reply. So, then I’m sitting there at the show, and it’s like, ‘Wow, Eddie Hearn didn’t get me tickets.

“He’s so two-faced.’ I just replied, ‘You’re an arrogant [person].’ I pulled him at the show and said, ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ He said, ‘Hey.’ I said, ‘No, hey, hey. What are you doing?’ I said, ‘One, you couldn’t be more arrogant. Two, why aren’t you messaging me after I messaged you? You put a Tweet out? You’re like a little kid,” Hearn said 

This raises questions about whether Hearn and Haney still have a good relationship. Hearn has made several other big-name signings since Haney’s fight with Garcia. Jaron Ennis is the IBF Welterweight Champion and someone who is seen as the future of the sport. Boots also has a style that resonates with the wider audience, with an undefeated record of 32-0, including 29 knockouts.

Hearn has also signed Shakur Stevenson, the WBC Lightweight Champion. While his fighting style has been criticized, he is still regarded as one of the best generational talents in the sport. Conor Benncould also return soon following his failed VADA tests for Clomiphene. Prior to the failed test, Ben was seen as one of the biggest names in British boxing. While Hearn has not said anything to suggest that their relationship with Haney has soured, he was clear that he was not happy with the conduct shown by Devin.

“I said, ‘You used to be a good kid, you did.’ I said, ‘I don’t like this arrogance that I’m seeing from you.’ I said, ‘Don’t ever do that again.’ He was like, ‘No, no. You said something about me in the media.’ I said, ‘No, I was just answering questions. I don’t represent you,” Hearn added.

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