-
Eddie Hearn reveals three-fight plan for Anthony Joshua in 2023 with Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder showdown ‘nailed on’.
Eddie Hearn is certain that Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder will be Anthony Joshua’s final opponent in 2023 and claims the fight may be announced “in the next week.”
Joshua has not competed since his depressing rematch loss to Oleksandr Usyk in August of last year. He left for the US last month in search of a new trainer after splitting with Robert Garcia after their last bout.
The British fighter is currently out of contention for the world title after two consecutive losses to the unbeaten Ukrainian. Hearn, though, has now unveiled a three-fight strategy that he believes can help Joshua return to the top of heavyweight boxing before the year is through.
A bout against a fighter in the top 15 is about to be confirmed for early April, and a rematch with former foe Dillian Whyte, with whom they previously fought bloodily in 2015, is anticipated to happen in the summer.
The WBC champion Fury, who will face Usyk for the undisputed title in the coming months, or Wilder, who also starts the year wanting to go back into world title contention, will then face Joshua, according to the Matchroom CEO.
‘The plan now is to rebuild him [Joshua] to become a three-time heavyweight world champion. The trainer will want to take thew appropriate steps to do that. There has to be a plan, a smart plan,’ Hearn told the DAZN Boxing Show
RELATED:
- Tyson Fury explains why Anthony Joshua’s fight will never take place.
- Antony responds to ‘clown’ comments during Man United’s showboating fury
- Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk agree to fight each other
‘And the smart plan is he wants to return against a top 15 guy in a credible fight and return in the summer against probably Dillian Whyte and then move forward against Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury in a mega-fight in the autumn of 2023.
‘To me, the key here is to see him box three times this year. he is in a great place mentally and I expect to see a great performance from in in April.’
Hearn added: ‘AJ is fighting a month earlier than Canelo [Alvarez] so he will be pretty much ready to go with an announcement in the next week or so.
‘We pretty much know his day, we are down to three or four opponents that we are talking to. Obviously [there are] rumours of his new training team, there will be a full announcement soon, he is in a great place and is ready to start camp soon. I believe this week that camp will begin.’
Ever since both men attained heavyweight boxing’s pinnacle in 2016, Joshua and Wilder have been destined to face off against one another.
Hearn and Wilder’s manager Shelly Finkel discussed the fight in the second half of 2023 and while the ‘Bronze Bomber’ is looking at a WBC final eliminator against Andy Ruiz Jr between March and May, Hearn is confident that fight could be waiting down the line.
‘There is an open line of communication with Shelly,’ Hearn said. ‘He is going to fight Andy Ruiz Jr, we know that fight has been ordered. AJ will come back the first week of April. We are just looking for momentum here.
‘We have got a plan, this guy has got so much more to give to the heavyweight division, but this is also an important moment that we must get right. Those lines of communication are open with Deontay Wilder.
‘We know it is a huge fight, massive numbers. I truly believe Wilder or Fury are nailed on for 2023 because AJ isn’t interested in three or four-nothing fights. He will listen to his trainer but he wants to be in the biggest fights possible.’