‘No. 1 priority’ – Eddie Hearn : Anthony Joshua v Deontay Wilder a ‘fascinating fight now’, but Daniel Dubois rematch ‘No. 1 priority’ – Eddie Hearn
Promoter Eddie Hearn has dismissed any potential fight between Anthony Joshua and either of Joseph Parker or Dillian Whyte. ‘AJ’ is on the lookout for his next challenge after being stopped by Daniel Dubois at the weekend. The London 2012 gold medal winner has talked up a potential rematch with his fellow Brit, and Hearn says that taking on Dubois again is his “No. 1 priority.”
Eddie Hearn insists Anthony Joshua’s “No. 1 priority” is a rematch with Daniel Dubois, despite the possibility of a high-profile clash with Deontay Wilder or Joe Joyce.
The 2012 Olympic gold medal winner suffered a fifth-round knockout when he faced Dubois in front of a record crowd at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
It was the fourth defeat of Joshua’s career, and has some questioning how long he has left in the sport.
The two-time heavyweight champion of the world has been linked with a number of potential opponents.
Promoter Hearn, who heads up Matchroom, has ruled out contests with Joseph Parker and Moses Itauma, while stating bouts with Joe Joyce and Dillian Whyte are “unlikely.”
And Hearn says that is because Joshua only has one thing on his mind.
“I said to him yesterday, who knows, you’ve got between maybe one and three fights left,” he told Boxing News.
“The phone went a bit quiet when I said that to him, but that’s the realisation of where we’re at in his career. It will just be the biggest fights possible.
“I don’t rule out [Deontay] Wilder or [Joe] Joyce, but I think AJ’s going to want the biggest. He’s a fighter. His No. 1 priority is to rematch Daniel Dubois.”
A contest against Wilder would be particularly interesting, given the pair have long been mooted as opponents – particularly in 2018, when they held all the world titles between them, and as fallen giants in 2023.
The American, now 38-years-old, has lost four of his 48 career fights. Each of those defeats have come in his last five bouts, though, including twice to Tyson Fury.
Wilder also suffered a fifth round stoppage against Zhilei Zhang in June, but a clash with Joshua interests Hearn.
“That’s a fight that, prior to Saturday, I thought would never happen,” he added. “But I certainly think it’s a fascinating fight now, and one that people would definitely tune in to.”
The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
