Joshua-Fury fight may not happen if fighters lose or get injured, says promoter

The highly anticipated boxing match between British heavyweights Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua faces uncertainty, with Fury himself suggesting the fight might not materialize. However, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, has dismissed these comments, urging a look at past records to determine who is more likely to withdraw.

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Look at history. Check the facts, check the resume. If you really want to pick one fighter who’s more reliable than the other, I don’t think it’s a close-run race.

Hearn pointed to Fury's history, implying that Fury is the more unreliable of the two fighters. He questioned when Joshua has ever pulled out of a fight, emphasizing Joshua's willingness to face top contenders and his prior agreement to fight Fury. Hearn noted that Fury previously withdrew from their scheduled bout due to an arbitration ruling involving Deontay Wilder.

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What fight has AJ ever pulled out of?…Don’t forget, AJ has not only fought every contender he could have, he also previously signed to fight Tyson Fury, who pulled out of the fight because of an arbitration ruling involving Deontay Wilder.

Both fighters are set to compete in separate bouts this weekend as tune-up matches. Fury, 37, will face Poland's Mariusz Wach in a charity contest in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday. The following day, Joshua, 36, will fight Albania's Kristian Prenga in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. These fights are considered crucial warm-up bouts, with the potential for either fighter to sustain a loss or injury that could derail the planned November showdown.

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The only thing that’s going to stop the fight from happening in November is if one of these guys gets beat this weekend or picks up an injury.

Joshua, meanwhile, is still processing the tragic deaths of two close friends, Sina Ghami and Latif ‘Latz’ Ayodele, in a car crash in Nigeria in December. Ghami was his long-time rehabilitation coach, and Ayodele his personal trainer. Joshua described the incident as deeply painful, stating he is keeping his mind occupied and is not ready to fully confront the grief. Saturday's fight against Prenga will be Joshua's first since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

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It’s tough, every time I think about it, it hurts. Even talking about it now… pictures… it hurts but I keep my mind occupied you know. If I stop, you let it sink in and I’m not ready for it to sink in yet.