Hearn names Fury, Whyte and wildcard options for next Joshua bout

Anthony Joshua tells Tyson Fury he will be ‘ready in December’ for title fight

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An all-British heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury before Christmas looks in the balance and AJ is weighing up his other options. Three wildcard fights have caught the attention of his promoter Eddie Hearn who says AJ doesn’t want an easy fight and that the Fury talk can’t ‘derail’ Joshua’s December return.

Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang and Otto Wallin could all have a shot at Joshua, while a Dillian Whyte re-match remains on the horizon. Meanwhile, talks between Joshua and Fury about a blockbuster all-British heavyweight clash are currently on hold “out of respect for the Royal Family” following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Speaking to The DAZN Boxing Show, Hearn said: “I don’t want people to think I’m being too cynical and not exploring the option of this fight. AJ has made it very clear that he’s all in for that fight (Tyson Fury), he has been for a long time.

“Since the Usyk fight our plan was to fight in December, then fight in February or March, get active, knock out a few guys in the top-15, but if there’s an opportunity to fight for the world heavyweight title again, in what is the biggest fight in the sport then absolutely he would consider that.” Hearn said that Joshua’s camp would list to the offer of Fury for a December fight which would be the ‘biggest in boxing’ but said “will it happen in December? In my opinion probably not.”

However, he said that the Fury speculation can’t ‘derail’ Joshua’s plans for a December return to the ring and he wants to face a top-15 opponent. Croatian fighter Hrgovic beat China’s Zhang in the undercard of Joshua’s second fight against Usyk and either of them could be his next suitor.

Meanwhile, Swedish fighter Wallin could also be a Joshua competitor with 24 wins from 26 fights with his only defeat coming against Fury in 2019. “He wouldn’t want a soft touch, that would work against him,” added Hearn.

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“It’s a top-15 guy, once I start mentioning names the price goes up. The last thing AJ wants is a gimme fight, there’s got to be an element of risk. You’ve got Filip Hrgovic, who just won. I think it was a poor performance from him.

“Zhilei Zhang looked good. Otto Wallin also had a close fight with Tyson Fury. Dillian Whyte is not a fight for December, but it is a fight for March and the summer, 100 percent.”

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