Eddie Hearn appears to concede that Anthony Joshua will lose Oleksandr Usyk rematch

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Eddie Hearn has appeared to concede that Anthony Joshua will lose his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua surrendered the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles after being defeated by Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last month. It was a pivotal result which sent shockwaves through the sport and exposed the limitations of AJ, who was previously considered among the pound-for-pound elite.

As reported by Sky Sports, AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that they have taken the decision to invoke the rematch clause in the fight contract, but how much hope does Hearn actually have that Joshua will be able to get his belts back the second time around?

During an interview with DAZNBoxing, Hearn discussed the scarce fighting schedule of WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and considered where Dillian Whyte, another client of his, could fit into the calendar.

Hearn said during the interview with DAZNBoxing, “AJ’s gonna’ fight Usyk in March or April and then Usyk’s gonna’ fight Fury in September, October.” His point being that Fury has plenty of time to pencil in a bout with compatriot Whyte, else he’d be spending potentially up to a year inactive.

MORE: Who could Tyson Fury fight next? From Oleksandr Usyk unification bout… to tussle with David Haye

The slip of the tongue here from Hearn appeared to show his lack of confidence in AJ to win his belts back in the rematch. If he was confident that he’d be successful in doing so, why would he suggest that Fury would take on Usyk in late 2022?

Fury would have no business fighting Usyk, in what’ll be one of the final bouts of his contract and career, were it not to be in hope of unifying the heavyweight division. It’s hard to imagine Joshua being particularly happy with his own promoter’s lack of confidence in his abilities.

More Stories Anthony Joshua Dillian Whyte Eddie Hearn Oleksandr Usyk Tyson Fury