By Jake Tiernan: Eddie Hearn is predicting Anthony Joshua makes easy work of Deontay Wilder, similar to how he knocked out former IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin in the second round seven years ago in 2016.
Hearn’s ultimate goal is to put together a fight between Joshua & Tyson Fury, and he says he still would want to make that fight even if AJ loses to Wilder. In other words, Fury is cash-out fight for Joshua & Hearn.
That was a very different Joshua back then, both younger and more aggressive than the timid, gun-shy fighter he is at this stage of his ten-year professional career.
Joshua’s self confidence has been slowly destroyed in the last seven years, and it’s not coming back. These fighters sapped AJ’s self belief:
– Wladimir Klitschko
– Carlos Takam
– Alexander Povetkin
– Dillian Whyte
– Andy Ruiz Jr
– Oleksandr Usyk
– Jermaine Franklin
Martins’s punches showed no speed and he tipped off Joshua each time he would let his hand go with his left.
Is Deontay too dangerous for Joshua?
Wilder has blazing hand speed and tremendous power. Most importantly, he’s not afraid to throw his punches and will be coming after Joshua full throttle in January in Saudi Arabia.
The former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder (43-2-1, 42 KOs) is a much different fighter than the southpaw Martin in terms of power, hand speed, and killer instinct.
Martin looked afraid to let his hand go in the Joshua fight, and when he did throw, he was pushing his badly telegraphing everything he threw.
Eddie Hearn: “The reason this fight’s happening now in January. Hopefully, Saudi individually negotiated with both parties. So we’re not negotiating with Wilder,” said Hearn to Boxing Social on the Deontay Wilder vs. Anthony Joshua fight.
“So there’s no opportunity to fall out, and there’s no network dispute, there’s no nothing. Once Wilder does his deal with Skills Challenge, all they’ve got to do is get AJ, and it’s actually a very easy process. So fingers crossed.
Gareth A. Davies: “AJ fights Wilder, ay it’s an amazing fight, and he wins, or he loses. Fury & Usyk, let’s say, happens in March next year, which is what they’re heading towards. Do we get AJ and Fury late in the year or late summer of 2024?
Hearn: “Actually, I think we get it whatever happens, but obviously, the size of the fight changes considerably depending on what happens in the Wilder fight.
“If AJ beats Deontay Wilder, the Tyson Fury fight is absolutely ginormous. Listen, call me deluded. I still got dreams.”
Gareth: “It should have happened already.”
AJ beats Wilder like he did Martin
Hearn: “I have still got dreams that AJ beats Wilder, which I actually truly believe he does and then goes and beats Tyson Fury.”
Gareth: “Describe the fight then when you dream it.”
Hearn: “You see the Charles Martin fight? A little bit like that.”
Gareth: “So he’s going to throw his hands, yeah?”
Hearn: “Yeah, but also timing. Look at what he did.”
Gareth: “But he didn’t counter at all on Saturday night [against Robert Helenius], which worried me a little bit.”
Hearn: “Also, he also had an opponent on five days’ notice. He was working on Dillian Whyte for six or seven weeks.”
Gareth: “He was going to jab his nut off.”
Hearn: “He felt that his timing was a little bit off, and he said he struggled to land. Actually, I’m glad he didn’t land the right hand properly on Helenius because he knocked him out cold with probably 60% of that right hand.”
Gareth: “It was a glancing blow when you look back at it, yeah. But what he did do cleverly in those last two rounds was started to shuffle his angles and to create the angles.”
Hearn: “A lot in the boxing community are saying that. He jabs to the body, jabs to the chest. He gets his feet in perfect position to throw the right hand. If you know boxing, you are seeing a lot of improvements with Anthony Joshua. I still think he needs to be a bit more aggressive.”
Gareth: “He’s not that gung-ho guy we loved six years ago.”
Hearn: “But also when you’re having a sensible conversation with someone. Why would I go out and just [slug]? Helenius can whack. All of a sudden. We saw her against [Andy] Ruiz. AJ just thought, ‘Let’s go and end it.’ Chin in the air, ‘Boom, boom, boom, fights over.
“One shot, everything can change. So it’s just a smarter AJ, and I know it’s not always as exciting, but who cares? Let’s just win.”
Gareth: “Will you always regret it if we cannot get AJ and Fury in the ring together before the year is over?”
Hearn: “Not really, because genuinely, our intentions were pure regarding that, and we’ve tried to make that fight before. Mistakes again, but that was one where we never really believed that the fight [Joshua vs. Tyson Fury] was going to happen. I wouldn’t regret it, but it would be great to make brilliant.”
