Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua MUST fight Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder before retiring and lays out timeline
Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua must fight Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury before he retires and believes they could happen in 2024.
Two-time heavyweight world champion AJ has some big names on his CV, but blockbuster showdowns against Wilder and Fury are still missing.
Talks have happened over both fights, but so far they have been unable to be made for various reasons.
A proposed deal that would have seen AJ face Wilder in January in Saudi Arabia fell through, meaning the Brit is likely to take another fight before eventually facing the Bronze Bomber.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Hearn said: “We looked at [Zhilei] Zhang before, if there was an offer to do that fight in Beijing or to look at that fight in the UK, I think it makes sense.
“There’s a lot of the guys that we've talked about before like Filip Hergovich and Otto Wallin. There's a lot happening in the IBF at the moment.
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“AJ could be in line for a world title shot for that fight in the New Year as well.
“Agit Kabayel has been mentioned too. We appreciate it won't be a mega fight, but he's okay with that.
“He wants to get back in the ring and keep himself active while he waits for those mega fights.
“There's two fights that AJ needs to have before he retires and that's Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
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“I think he has to have those fights next year and that's the plan, but what he's not going to do is be inactive like a lot of these guys.
“Deontay Wilder hasn't boxed in over a year and that was a 45 second blowout in his last fight.
“People like Andy Ruiz too, they're fighting like once a year. So if AJ can box three times in nine months, that's good for his career.
“Ultimately what he wants, we want, and the British public want is the biggest fights out there. And really he's boxed everyone outside of Wilder and Fury.”