Eddie Hearn has said Anthony Joshua is negotiating the “final points” on a contract to fight Tyson Fury later this year.
On 11 April, Joshua sat ringside as Fury made a winning return to boxing after 16 months away, but “AJ” was coy when called out by his fellow British heavyweight.
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However, Hearn soon revealed that Joshua, 36, was simply keen to focus on actual negotiations over the fight – talks that are nearing completion, according to the Matchroom promoter.
Anthony Joshua (left) with his promoter Eddie Hearn in early April (PA)
Earlier this month, Hearn told The Independent and other outlets that Joshua would almost certainly box another opponent in July before facing Fury, 37, towards the end of the year. And Hearn has doubled down on this plan while providing his latest update.
“We will have a contract, and we haven’t signed a contract yet, but we are negotiating the final points in an agreement to come back to the ring in July and [then] fight Tyson Fury,” Hearn told iFL TV.
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“Once we sign up for that agreement, it is over to [Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh] for the staging. We will be promoting for July; I would think that the November fight or whatever it will be, will be promoted by [Saudi company] Sela.
“The good news is: if we take a [warm-up] fight like this, we have signed to fight Tyson Fury, and all you’ve got to do is bite your fingernails in July for 36 minutes or less and you’ve got not the fight of the century – the fight of all-time.
“Myself and AJ, Tyson Fury, we’ll have a contract where [Alalshikh] is basically funding the fight. It’s up to him where it is.
“Now, he also wants to make history; he is not going to put it in some random place. He wants this to deliver for the fans what it is, which is the biggest fight in the history of our country. I am hopeful that the fight takes place in the UK.”
Joshua during his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, in 2022 (PA)
Of the plan for Joshua to fight once before facing Fury in a clash of former world heavyweight champions, Hearn added: “I am sure they won’t mind me saying it, a lot of this has come from Oleksandr Usyk. He was part of these conversations, and the conversations were absolutely: ‘He is having a comeback fight.’”
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Hearn was referring to the fact that Joshua has been training with unified champion Usyk in Ukraine in recent months, having survived a tragic car crash in December.
Just 10 days after stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, Joshua was involved in an accident in Nigeria that claimed the lives of two of his teammates.
AJ was quick to return to the gym, however, before visiting Kyiv and training alongside Usyk, who outpointed Joshua in 2021 and 2022 and will face kickboxing icon Rico Verhoeven on 23 May.
Tyson Fury (left) eased past Arslanbek Makhmudov on points this month (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Fury is not expected to fight again before facing Joshua, having eased past Arslanbek Makhmudov for a points win this month.
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The bout was the “Gypsy King”’s first since December 2024, when he was outpointed by Usyk for the second time in seven months. Fury had never previously lost as a professional, and the second defeat heralded his fifth retirement from boxing.
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