Eddie Hearn and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum are jumping the gun in negotiating a unification fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for May 2021.
Fury is still in a mediation process with Deontay Wilder over their trilogy match, and Joshua has his mandatory commitment outstanding with his WBO mandatory Oleksandr Usyk. Either one of these issues could upset the plans for a Joshua vs. Fury fight next May.
It’s way too early for Hearn and Arum to be negotiating a fight between Joshua and Fury with these issues still hanging over the head of the two heavyweights.
“[Bob Arum] tells us Fury is contractually free to take any fight he wants. I do believe Wilder is appealing in U.S courts, but we don’t expect that to be a problem,” said Hearn to Sky Sports News in making some big assumptions. ”
“If you listen to Bob, that’s not a problem,” said Hearn. “He is a lawyer and he knows his contracts and he tells us that Tyson Fury is contractually free to take any fight he wants”
It’s not surprising that Hearn is saying that Arum is right because they have something to gain by Fury not fighting Wilder again.
They want that lucrative Joshua vs. Fury fight, and Wilder could spoil their big plans by scoring a knockout.
Hearn expects Fury to come out of the mediation process without needing to face Wilder, but that’s wishful thinking on his part. There’s a perfect chance that Wilder will win the case because he hasn’t been a year since the two fought last February.
Also, the pandemic circumstances, Wilder’s arm injury, and the lack of dates on ESPN to show the fight. These were things that there wasn’t any control of by Team Wilder.
Instead of resisting the idea of fighting Wilder, Fury should face up to his responsibilities and give it his best shot. He might win again, but it’ll likely be a much different fight this time around.
Fury’s roughhouse tactics involving rabbit punches, shoving, and slapping won’t catch Wilder by surprise this time. Wilder will also likely be healthy for the fight and not come into it with an arm injury like last time.
We don’t know how much of an impact Wilder’s right bicep injury had in the fight with Fury last February, but you got to believe it had some effect. Wilder’s best weapon is his right hand.
Hearn is ready just in case Fury is ordered to fight Wilder.
“If Fury can’t fight Joshua, AJ will fight Usyk, said Hearn.