Eddie Hearn fires back after Carl Froch says Anthony Joshua should fight Tyson Fury now

Hearn rejects Carl Froch call, cites inactivity, injuries and medical advice

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua should take a comeback fight before facing Tyson Fury. Hearn pointed to inactivity, injuries and medical guidance in response to Carl Froch’s comments.

Froch recently argued that Joshua should skip any tune-up and head directly into a Fury fight next. Hearn rejected that idea and pointed to Joshua’s inactivity, loss to Daniel Dubois, exhibition rounds with Jake Paul, and the car crash injuries that have slowed his career.

“He lost to Dubois in 2024, and we’re now in 2026. He did four rounds with Jake Paul. He was also involved in a horrendous car accident where he suffered horrendous injuries himself,” said Eddie Hearn to the media, reacting to Carl Froch saying Anthony Joshua should go straight into a fight against Tyson Fury next, rather than taking a tune-up.

“What planet are these people going? We were having a warm-up fight before the accident, before the Jake Paul, so what has changed? We need to physically know that we are ready for those kinds of fights. I get people saying, ‘Go straight into the fight.’ Thank you, Carl. That’s very kind of you. But let us be smart and real. We’ll also be led by the Usyk team and the doctors that said that he’ll [Joshua] will need to fight first,” said Hearn.

Hearn’s comments suggest Joshua’s camp still prefers a lower-risk comeback before revisiting Fury later in the year. The fans don’t see the point of another tune-up after the way AJ looked in his 6th-round knockout win over Jake Paul last December. In contrast, Fury, 37, wasn’t impressive in his 2 round decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11th.

Coming off a 16-month layoff and those two losses to Usyk, Fury looked every bit his age against Makhmudov. While he won wide on the cards, 120-108, 120-108, and 119-109, he looked like a fighter who had lost a step in his footwork and timing.

While Hearn’s desire for a tune-up is being viewed as “smart and real,” it’s hard not to wonder if it’s more about protecting the massive November payday.

Joshua is still waiting on the final medical green light to return to full-speed sparring. If there is any lingering physical impact from that crash, Hearn knows throwing him straight in with Fury would be a disaster.

There is a growing feeling that Fury is a sitting duck for a sharp Joshua. By waiting until November, Hearn risks Fury having another bad night or, worse, Joshua losing his edge or picking up an injury in a July tune-up.

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