Eddie Hearn says a brawl between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua would not last long. Speaking to talkSPORT Boxing, the promoter said that if Fury follows through on his promise to meet Joshua in the middle of the ring on December 11 in Cardiff, the fight will be over inside six rounds.
…you saw Tyson Fury say at the press conference, ‘I’m going to come out. I’m going to meet him in the middle of the ring and I’m going to have a war.’ I don’t believe that, but if he does, the fight will be all over inside six rounds. No question.
Hearn is not convinced Fury will actually fight that way. At Wednesday’s London launch press conference, Fury told Joshua he would blast him out of there and said he plans to stand and throw down rather than box on the back foot. Hearn referred to those comments in the interview but made clear he does not expect Fury to follow through.
Why Hearn Thinks The Wait Helps
Hearn argued the years of delay have made the matchup better, not staler. Fury is 38 and Joshua is 36, and Hearn believes both men now have the future on their minds.
I think you’ll get a better fight now than you might have a couple of years ago because I think maybe both guys will be thinking about the future. All they’re thinking about is this fight and all that matters to them right now is getting victory on December the 11th.
The pair will fight for the vacant WBA ‘Super’ heavyweight title, according to Reuters, in a show streaming on Netflix.
No Rematch Clause
Asked about a rematch clause, Hearn was short.
No. One fight deal.
That leaves the loser with no automatic second shot, which raises the cost of a brawl that goes wrong for either man.
Cardiff Was A Fight Of Its Own
Hearn also took a victory lap over the tug of war with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing, arguing the fight was staged in the UK because Matchroom refused to bend.
I won’t have people take liberties. And when someone wants to come into the sport and wipe everybody out and have the arrogance to think you can do so against myself and a company like Matchroom, we got to show them what time it is. And that’s what we did. We did a job on them.
He said Joshua turned down an offer to move the bout to America, claiming the other side came in through the back door and tried to pay Joshua to tear up the contract. According to Hearn, Joshua answered that he wanted the fight in the UK because the fans deserve it. Hearn made a similar claim on DAZN in September, when he said TKO went behind his back to offer Joshua money for a New York fight. Dana White answered that criticism earlier this month.
Hearn has insisted since August that Joshua’s contract made a US venue impossible. In the interview he said an American show would have been a real wet fart, given what Fury and Joshua have given to British boxing and its fans.
What Hearn Sees After December 11
Hearn said Deontay Wilder is the one big heavyweight name of this generation Joshua never fought, and floated a sequel if Joshua gets past Fury.
…maybe he chins Tyson Fury and we pop over to America next year and finish a job against Deontay Wilder.
Wilder is already linked to an anticipated 2027 meeting with Oleksandr Usyk, so that path would need to clear first.
Hearn also used the interview to talk up Matchroom’s Ben Whittaker, saying trainer Andy Lee’s confidence about Whittaker being ready to fight a fighter like Dmitri Bivol shows what Lee is seeing in the gym.
