01 June 2024 , 12:54
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Eddie Hearn thinks Anthony Joshua would have left Oleksandr Usyk's victory over Tyson Fury fancying his chances against both.
The two-time heavyweight champion was ringside for the Ukrainian's split decision win over the Gypsy King in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago. Joshua is enjoying a resurgence that began soon after his second consecutive loss to Usyk in 2022: beating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
Joshua is set to fight at Wembley Stadium on September 21st, but an opponent is yet to be announced. He is being lined up to face the winner out of Filip Hrgovic and Daniel Dubois which could s ee the IBF world title on the line, should it get stripped off Usyk.
But while Joshua's focus will solely be on the Croatian and his fellow Brit, Hearn thinks he would have left the Middle East thinking he's more than capable of overcoming Usyk and Fury.
“I don’t think he’s that deep,” Hearn said on the True Geordie podcast, when asked what would have been going through Joshua's mind after the bout. “I think probably deep down, he’s thinking: ‘Well, I lost, especially in the second fight, by a close points decision’.
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“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 weren’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. At present, it does not look like the rematch will be for the undisputed heavyweight championship, as the IBF title looks set to be taken from the Ukrainian.
Hearn thinks Joshua would fancy his chances against Fury and Usyk (AFP via Getty Images)At first, the IBF title was expected to be put on the line for Hrgovic and Dubois' clash. But the Ukrainian's undisputed status was retained for longer than expected.
But while Joshua fighting either Hrgovic or Dubois appeared to be all but decided, Hearn also hinted the London 2012 Olympic gold medallist could be put up against Zhilei Zhang or Deontay Wilder, who will also be in action in Saudi Arabia tonight.
When asked if Joshua's next opponent could be decided by whoever 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."
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