‘That would be dangerous’ – Eddie Hearn rules out Anthony Joshua vs Joe Joyce following KO defeat to Zhilei Zhang
Eddie Hearn doesn’t want to see Joe Joyce box again – even if it means he makes money selling a fight with Anthony Joshua.
‘The Juggernaut’ suffered his second successive stoppage defeat at the hands of Chinese heavyweight Zhilei Zhang in London on Saturday night.
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In April, their first clash was waved off in round six when Joyce’s eye swelled shut, but in the rematch, he was counted out after being heavily dropped in the third frame.
Hearn, who predicted Joyce would be stopped inside six rounds pre-fight, believes it’s time for him to call it a career because his chin has deteriorated.
"He’s 38? He’s taken a huge amount of punishment in sparring, in fights,” the boxing promoter said in an interview with after Conor Benn’s comeback fight in Florida.
“His greatest asset was his ability to take punches and walk through them - he can’t do it anymore. Zhilei Zhang is a good fighter, he’s not an elite heavyweight, in my opinion, but he’s a world-class heavyweight.”
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Joshua’s right-hand man was then asked about the possibility of booking a domestic dust-up between the former two-time world champion and Joyce.
Hearn added: “No, that would be dangerous.
“Honestly, he shouldn’t be boxing. He’s had a great career, he should’ve been Olympic champion, he won the interim world heavyweight title and I’m sure he’s made a lot of money as well.
"AJ punches as hard as Zhang with much more speed. It’s not the right fight to make, you have to protect these guys. It’s a car crash that fight. A car crash.”
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The 44-year-old is more interested in making a bout between Joshua and Zhang if talks with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder don’t reach a positive conclusion soon.
AJ famously beat Zhang on his way to claiming Olympic gold in 2012 and the Matchroom Sports chairman is excited about the pair potentially rematching in China or London.
"Absolutely,” Hearn insisted when asked about the prospect of Joshua fighting Zhang again.
“AJ has always fancied that fight. He beat him in the amateurs, it was a good fight. Of course, [we’d do it in China]. Money talks, we can do it at Wembley [Stadium].
“We want to make the Wilder fight. I think Zhang is an easier fight, it’s still dangerous, but why not?”
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