Barry Hearn, the founder of Matchroom Sport, has told boxing legend Anthony Joshua to find elsewhere, despite his desire to get revenge for his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.
Barry Hearn wants Anthony Joshua to stay away from a rematch with Daniel Dubois, even though he thinks Joshua would defeat his younger opponent in a rematch.
In the most recent episode of The Barry Hearn Show, which airs Thursday morning, the Matchroom tycoon makes this claim. ‘Dynamite’ brutally knocked out Joshua, 35, a former two-time unified world heavyweight champion, in the fifth round in September.
Even though the 27-year-old Dubois destroyed her, the Olympic gold medalist is desperate for a rematch with the IBF heavyweight champion, and February 22 has been proposed as the date.
Given the dearth of matches that provide both financial rewards and the opportunity to leave a lasting legacy, Joshua is undoubtedly nearing the end of his career.
According to Hearn, it would serve Joshua well to look past redemption with Dubois and instead focus on a potential bout with Tyson Fury, even if the ‘Gypsy King’ loses his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
“Personally, I think I’d swerve that,” the 76-year-old said. “I think Dubois is dangerous and he’s going to be super confident after the last job. I still believe AJ would probably beat him in a rematch if he boxed differently, but that’s just my opinion.
“More likely, a sensible person doesn’t rush anything. You take your time. But he’s his own man and he’s gonna make his own call. And I guess my gut feeling is the warrior still burns within Anthony Joshua and he will want to try once more. My crystal ball starts to clear every now and again.
Barry Hearn has enjoyed a long relationship with Anthony Joshua.
“A Daniel Dubois rematch would be a big fight. But if Oleksandr Usyk beats Tyson Fury – and I think he’s the favourite to beat Tyson Fury, possibly this time by stoppage – then the most sensible thing would be one or two fights with Tyson Fury.”
A fight between the two British fighters might end both of their careers, according to Hearn, the father of Joshua’s promoter Eddie. A “one in Riyadh, one in Wembley,” he suggested. And that might be their final goodbye. In a perfect world, AJ returns early the following year to face Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia between February and March before they rematch in the summer at Wembley Stadium.
Hearn, who celebrated his 35th birthday earlier this month, praised Joshua’s accomplishments, which he attributes to his non-traditional personality. The president of Matchroom stated, “He’s already made a fortune in the eyes of the average person.”
However, Anthony Joshua is not a typical person; if he were, he wouldn’t be Anthony Joshua. You treat him with the deference he deserves. He will come to me, Eddie (probably), his trainer, or someone else if he needs advice.
