Eddie Hearn claims that injured Anthony Joshua would “want to go straight back in” with Daniel Dubois in a rematch, but he also thinks that a much-awaited matchup with Tyson Fury is an option.
At a crowded Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, Joshua was defeated by Dubois via fifth-round knockout, a humiliating loss. Although the 34-year-old former unified world heavyweight champion’s loss aroused concerns about his future, his promoter Hearn told TNT Sports that other notable matchups are being explored.
Hearn stated in an exclusive interview, “When you look back at his defeats, we’ve always jumped straight back in.”
Everyone told him not to fight Andy Ruiz right away after he lost to him. “AJ said, ‘absolutely no chance-I should have beaten Ruiz, I can beat Ruiz, let me rematch him. Come back, have a 10-rounder.” He enters the ring and prevails in each round.Many people believed that we shouldn’t have battled [Oleksandr] Usyk in the first place. AJ was soundly defeated there.I realize it’s another chance to win the heavyweight world title, but… It occurred to him, “I’m rematching Usyk.” He gave a far better performance but lost.We now believe that we are capable of defeating Daniel Dubois and that we need to be doing so. But are you prepared to move in with him again right away?That choice is outlined in our contract. I am aware that His Excellency desires a rematch right away.
Most likely February. Is it premature? Is a space available later? We are aware that the Riyadh Season ends in late February or early March.Shall we hold off till Tyson Fury? I believe that after Tyson Fury’s defeat [by Usyk in December], AJ and Fury ought to square off and go on.Tyson Fury will defend the unified world heavyweight belt against AJ if he prevails. Thus, we also have another chance to win the title there.AJ will want to immediately re-enter the relationship with Dubois. I am familiar with him. But three days have passed since the incident, and this is a crucial decision. Give us some time, and then decide on what will be the last chapter of his career. You just have one or three bouts left, I told him.And with that, the phone was dead silent. It was the realization that we have a clear path home. I hope this last chapter turns out to be the best one yet.
Joshua had to rebuild his career after losing to Usyk twice in 2021 and 2022. He did so by defeating Jermaine Franklin, Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Francis Ngannou before Dubois stunningly halted him. Joshua has now lost four times in his career, all of which have occurred inside the last ten fights, dating back to June 2019.