Eddie Hearn admits Anthony Joshua needs one more fight before a blockbuster showdown against Tyson Fury. Joshua laboured to a points victory over Jermaine Franklin on Saturday and was criticised for failing to get the knockout over his limited American opponent.
The long-awaited comeback at London’s 02 Arena was billed as a “new dawn” for Joshua after damaging consecutive defeats to champion Oleksandr Usyk, but his underwhelming performance only added to the doubts over his chances against the true elite heavyweights.
Joshua brazenly called out WBC champion Fury for a belated all-British clash after beating Franklin, while explosive knockout artist Deontay Wilder was also mentioned by the 33-year-old after having his hand raised on Saturday night.
But Matchroom promoter Hearn believes Joshua is still in the rebuild phase under new trainer Derrick James and name-checked Dillian Whyte, Otto Wallin and Joe Joyce on a three-man shortlist of potential opponents ahead of a summer return.
“The general feeling is we need another fight, a step up from Franklin, but in order to gel and continue improving with Derrick James, we need another fight in the summer of that nature,” Hearn said on the MMA Hour.
“We also know that the Tyson Fury fight, whether that’s even possible, may be a summer fight and that might be the only chance, so it’s a difficult decision, because if we’re doing it with a view to keep improving and for longevity and to get him to his best then we should have another fight.
“Momentum is key for AJ. He’s boxed like twice a year, sometimes once a year through Covid, for the last three or four years.
“I want him to box in July, and then again in December. I think it’ll do him really good to have a couple of weeks off now, then go straight back to Texas with Derrick James.”
Joshua’s career was on the line against huge underdog Franklin on Saturday and he would be expected to dispatch Whyte, Wallin or Joyce before an “inevitable” meeting with Fury or Wilder.
Hearn added: “If we’re going to go into a Fury or a Wilder, which is inevitable, I just want him to go in with the best chance that he can have and I feel right now he’s not at the optimum level he could be to go into those fights.
“He would still go into them and I still would give him a chance in those fights and I believe he could win those fights, but I would just like to see him firing going into these fights and what I saw on Saturday was not Joshua firing on all cylinders.”