Eddie Hearn Wants Anthony Joshua to Have Another Fight Before Facing Tyson Fury

Eddie Hearn Wants Anthony Joshua to Have Another Fight Before Facing Tyson Fury

Eddie Hearn, the promoter for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, has expressed his desire to see the British star have another fight before potentially facing WBC champion Tyson Fury. In his first fight with new head trainer Derrick James, Joshua won a twelve round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin, snapping a two-fight losing streak after dropping back-to-back decisions to Oleksandr Usyk.

Hearn believes Joshua should continue to polish the lessons he learned from James and fight another opponent before facing Fury. Joshua aims to fight three times in 2023, which means his next fight must take place in the summer. A rematch with division rival Dillian Whyte is still the likely scenario for Joshua's next bout.

"Some fights are there to be made, and you get one chance to do it," Hearn said in an interview with Boxing Social. "I think that is potentially the case with Tyson Fury. At the same time, I would still like him to have another fight with Derrick James to improve on what he has been working on. Dillian Whyte is a great fight. He needs to get back in the ring in July [or] August at the latest if he is to get three fights in this year."

Hearn plans to stage the third bout on a date in December if Joshua can have his next fight in the summer. "I would like to see him have a little rest then get straight back to Texas with Derrick and try to have an end-of-summer fight and then try to fight in December. It would be great for his career," he added.