Eddie Hearn is amped up against Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring after losing his last two fights against Oleksandr Usyk, and he can’t wait for him to battle for a world title in his efforts to become a three-time heavyweight world champion.
Hearn can’t believe the number of people that have written Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) off after his recent setbacks, and fans have overlooked his past achievements.
The problem that Joshua has is that the guys that he’s beaten in the past were nothing special, to begin with, and that makes it easy for fans to dismiss what he did in the last ten years of his career.
Hearn’s immediate plans for Joshua are to match him against Jermaine Franklin on April 1st and then follow that up with a fight with a match against the faded Dillian Whyte in July.
At this point, Joshua might not get past Franklin without being beaten for the third consecutive time and sent into retirement.
“The disrespect on this man’s name is unbelievable,” said Eddie Hearn about Anthony Joshua to DAZN. “People who want to downplay his achievements, people that want to say he’s finished in the sport, get f***ing ready for the return of Anthony Joshua on April 1.”
“It’s got to be difficult for Hearn to watch his star fade so fast, as he’s been a rock solid money maker for Matchroom Boxing since he turned professional in 2013, and watching him sink into oblivion after just six years, it’s got to be a bitter pill to swallow for the promoter. Joshua has been on a steep decline since 2019 when Andy Ruiz Jr stopped him.
Lately, it’s gotten worse for Joshua, losing twice to former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua’s decision to dump two trainers along the way has brought him no fixes to his game, and you’ve to assume that the problems he has are beyond the expertise of any coach.
“He cares for regaining his world heavyweight title, and I’m telling you, he’s coming back with a vengeance,” said Hearn.
More than likely, Joshua will beat Franklin & journeyman Whyte, and then fall apart if he’s matched against a solid heavyweight like Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury.
If Hearn knows what’s good for him, he’ll keep Joshua far away from those fighters and continue along the same plain as Whyte & Franklin in terms of competition. In other words, Joshua needs to be matched carefully against guys that he’s capable of beating.
“Anyone who wants to doubt Anthony Joshua, this guy’s a fine young man who’s about to make an assault on the world heavyweight title again. I can’t wait; I’m so excited. I’m more excited than when this journey began,” said Hearn.
