AJ’S itching to get the gloves back on to complete his collection of belts
Barry Hearn has revealed Anthony Joshua is desperate to get back in the ring – even if that means fighting behind closed doors because of Covid-19. Heavyweight-hitter Joshua, holder of the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO belts, is scheduled to fight Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev on December 5, although a venue has yet to be confirmed.
The pair were due to clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 20, but the pandemic forced the fight to be postponed.
And if AJ wins that fight, then a potential mouthwatering heavyweight unification bout awaits for whoever holds the WBC title, whether that be Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. “Anthony’s going to fight Pulev in December somewhere,” revealed Hearn.
“And if it’s behind closed doors, then it’s behind closed doors. He wants to fight.
“If someone like Anthony Joshua wants to fight, then that’s my client’s instructions. “Pulev is up for it now, so my son Eddie’s job is to get it sorted. “They’ve both been training for months, but what they’ve not had is the buzz of a big fight.”
Joshua got his career back on track last December with a masterclass comeback win in a big-money fight against Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia.
And now the global star is ready to put his belts on the line once again as he guns for more glory.
“At the end of the day, Anthony’s a remarkable young man,” added Hearn. “I spoke to him and his people recently – and he wants a fight.
“I said to him: ‘You do realise, Anthony, that you had a nice touch financially in Saudi Arabia, don’t you?’. “A huge touch!
“But, and I said this to him nicely: ‘You do realise it’s not going to be like that this time because of the Covid-19 situation?’.
“He just said: ‘It is what it is, I just want a fight’. “And, for me, that’s a remarkable attitude to have. “Singers want to sing and boxers want to box. Too many fighters have said during lockdown: ‘When I come back, can I have an easy one?’.
“I think Eddie has made it quite clear that there’s not going to be any easy fights anymore.
“People don’t want to pay for easy fights – and why should they?
“The show must go on in sport. We say that every day.”
But Hearn sees issues with Fury and Wilder getting it on.
“I think there are all sorts of problems with the Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder fight,” stressed Hearn. “That fight was meant to be in September, now it’s in December – but then it might be in February. “Now we want a fight as soon as AJ beats Pulev. We want to fight Tyson Fury straight away, the earliest in February or March. “And the added complication is that if Deontay Wilder doesn’t fight Fury, then Dillian Whyte steps straight into those shoes, or he vacates.
“Anthony doesn’t want Tyson Fury’s scalp. They get on fine. He wants the WBC belt – he wants the collection.”
Hearn is eyeing a match-up with Tyson Fury (left) early next year