Eddie Hearn believes Anthony Joshua left Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury feeling confident about his chances against both fighters.
The two-time heavyweight champion was ringside for the Ukrainian’s split decision win over the Gypsy King in Saudi Arabia two weeks ago. Joshua is enjoying a resurgence, having won his last four fights against Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou after back-to-back losses to Usyk in 2022.
Joshua is set to fight at Wembley Stadium on September 21, though his opponent has yet to be announced. He is being considered to face the winner of the Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois bout, which could see the IBF world title on the line if Usyk is stripped of the title.
While Joshua’s immediate focus will be on the Croatian Hrgovic and his fellow Brit Dubois, Hearn thinks Joshua would have left Saudi Arabia feeling he could defeat both Usyk and Fury.
“I don’t think he’s that deep,” Hearn said on the True Geordie podcast when asked what Joshua might have been thinking after the bout. “I think deep down, he’s thinking: ‘Well, I lost, especially in the second fight, by a close points decision.’
“By the way, honestly, AJ was 50% of the fighter he is now. You saw in the press conference his reaction in the ring, he wasn’t himself; I don’t think he was in a great place.
“Now he’s firing on every single cylinder that exists. So he’s watching that fight thinking ‘I’d love another crack at Usyk’. He’s thinking, ‘I’d love a fight with Fury, but he did say to me before that fight, ‘Usyk would win on points,’ and he was right, in a great fight.”
Usyk and Fury are set to face each other again in Saudi Arabia on December 21. However, it appears the rematch may not be for the undisputed heavyweight championship, as the IBF title may be stripped from Usyk.
At first, it was expected that the IBF title would be on the line for the Hrgovic and Dubois clash. However, the Ukrainian’s undisputed status has been retained longer than anticipated.
While Joshua’s fight against Hrgovic or Dubois seemed likely, Hearn hinted that Joshua could also face Zhilei Zhang or Deontay Wilder, who will be in action in Saudi Arabia tonight.
When asked if Joshua’s next opponent could be decided by who performs best in the Middle East, Hearn replied: “Basically, yeah. From a roadmap point of view, [it’s] the Hrgovic vs Dubois fight, which is another brilliant heavyweight match-up.
“The likely scenario is that the winner of that fight will fight AJ for the world heavyweight title in September. But, if Deontay Wilder knocks out Zhilei Zhang and His Excellency, (Turki Alalshikh) says ‘That fight is back,’ don’t forget, that fight was signed. We were supposed to announce that fight in the ring on December 23. If he looks sensational against Zhang, the whole world will be calling for Wilder vs Joshua again, and we can do that at Wembley.”
