Via Jim Calfa: Athlete Eddie Hearn said he’s a bit apprehensive about what kind of opponent Anthony Joshua will fight for his interim bout while IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk returns from the war front. in Ukraine.
It sounds like Joshua is begging To be defeated again with the dangerous guys on his wish list for his temporary fight.
Hearn admits that he and Joshua have very different perceptions of what a suitable interim opponent should be. Joshua will fight in May or June to stay busy while waiting for Usyk, according to Hearn,
Hearn says he wants a rival “Simple procedures” while Joshua was looking for a “The REAL War” targets dangerous killers like Deontay Wilder, Joe Joyce, and Luis Ortiz.
What Hearn means to want a “simple procedure” for Joshua can be construed as he likes a gimme so that AJ must face his temporary fight rather than a live dog.
Hearn says Joshua knocked him down when he offered his opponent his interim bout, opting instead to go with a list of dangerous heavyweights, with former WBC champion Deontay in on top of.
Sounds annoyed with Joshua’s choice
“I like Joseph [Parker]he’s been a great friend of mine, but I didn’t know that was the fight we were all looking for in the meantime,” Eddie Hearn told. Behind the gloves when showing no interest in using Joseph Parker for Anthony Joshua’s interim bout.
“My kind of feeling about a temporary war very different from the feeling of AJ because of the names he was talking about,” Hearn continued. “A temporary war for when you are waiting [Oleksandr] Usyk really should be a simple procedure.
“But when AJ talked about Wilder, a name he wanted me to consider, [Otto] Wallin, [Luis] Ortiz, Joe Joyce, all these kinds of names, even Joseph ParkerThese are serious fights.
“So, you must be careful because the aim is to win back the world heavyweight titles, and to do that, he has to fight Oleksandr Usyk,” Hearn said, adding that he wasn’t particularly eager to fight Joshua with the guys. dangerous enemies on his wish list.
Joshua is like an out of control at this point in his career, seemingly taking over the selection process for his fights, putting Hearn in a challenging position where he has may disagree with him or bend to his wishes.
The problem with Hearn giving in and letting Joshua impulsively fight whoever he wants is obvious. Joshua can’t beat the boxers on his wishlist with 100% certainty, and the last thing Hearn wants is for AJ’s career to end after his next fight.
Let’s say Joshua will lose to anyone. In that case, it has to be Usyk or Tyson Fury because the profits from those fights will be huge, and there will be a lot of criticism from boxing fans in AJ for receiving defeats against these talents. that ability.
Joshua losing to Joyce, Wilder, Ortiz or Wallin would be the signal that his career is over.
Eddie tells Usyk’s promoter about the temporary battle plan
“I reached out to Alex Krassyuk today, and it was like my first contact,” Hearn said of him talking to Usyk promoter Krassyuk to check when they might face off. against Joshua in the rematch.
“It was a very emotional time, and they didn’t want to talk about a war. They worry about their families [in Ukraine]. At the same time, I told him, ‘I need to make a move for AJ’s career.
“’We’re fighting Usyk; That’s all we want to do. If you don’t fight until then, we’re out. ‘ He [Joshua] want that war. But if Usyk is not ready for September, October or November, we want to fight in late May or early June.
“If we do that, we’ll look at the names I mentioned there, and We will choose a suitable opponent. It’s going to be a tougher fight than I’d like, quite frankly, but that’s all AJ,” Hearn said.
Joshua rejects Hearn’s choice for an opponent
Hearn said of Joshua: “He’s shooting all the turrets, he’s full of confidence at the moment, his back is against the wall a little bit. “He was like, ‘No, I want a REAL fight.’ I mentioned some other names, and I didn’t mean who they were, and he was like, ‘F*** fight them.’
“He never got the credit he should have for taking on these guys. I do not know. It feels like there will be a temporary fight at the moment, but until Usyk’s team is comfortable and everyone is comfortable with the plan, we’ll just have to wait and see.
“But we will start moving locations, dates and opponents if it is [the case]’ A Hearn heard sadly said.
Poor Hearn. I can see what he’s up against with Joshua’s lack of impulse control when picking opponents for his interim bout. Hearn is trying to save Joshua’s career, but he won’t let him do his job.
If Joshua had a better chin and stamina, it wouldn’t be a big deal for him to fight those on his roster for the interim bout. Unfortunately, Joshua’s energy is horrendous, and his punching resistance isn’t quite to the extent necessary for him to battle the likes of Wilder, Joyce, and Luis Ortiz in a hectic competition.
