Eddie Hearn revealed that two-time heavyweight star Anthony Joshua had remained silent after Tyson Fury’s retirement.
On Monday, the ‘Gypsy King’ shocked the boxing world after announcing his retirement from the sport of boxing. It comes following his recent defeat to rival Oleksandr Usyk last month. “Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury said. “I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it and I’m going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask.”
After Fury’s defeat to the Ukrainian and Joshua’s devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September, boxing purists were hoping to see the two British stars finally face off in 2025 – but the historic clash, which could have been worth £150million to both men, may now never take place.
Joshua has been dealt a huge blow following his rival’s announcement. However, Matchroom boss Hearn has recently revealed that he has yet to hear from his star client since Fury’s retirement post – hinting that ‘AJ’ is unfazed by it all and is solely focused on his own career as he looks to get back in the win column this year.
Speaking about Fury’s retirement, Hearn told iFL TV: “Listen, one… we don’t really take it too seriously. Two… if it is serious there’s nothing we can do about it anyway. What do you think goes on, do you think Josh is going to phone me up and go, ‘Oh Ed have you seen the news mate’. He’s not that kind of guy.”
The boxing promoter was then asked if he’s received any word from Joshua since Monday’s announcement, to which he replied: “Not one,” before explaining: “He could have been doing it because he’s got the ump. He could have been doing it for some attention. He could have been doing it because it’s true. What’s the point in guessing.”
In a separate interview, Hearn stated that he believes Fury’s announcement is simply a negotiating tactic. “I’m not going to accuse him of not being genuine but I think you get a better deal coming out of retirement or maybe he just hasn’t got the stomach for it anymore,” he said. “He got beat twice and has had enough. I doubt it but who knows? I don’t know him well enough to know but maybe he’s done.
“My gut feeling is we will see AJ against Fury this summer. But, maybe he’s for real. I cannot believe that he would check out without doing that fight. But if he genuinely isn’t enjoying it anymore, he should retire.”
