Anthony Joshua believes his hopes of facing Tyson Fury are over, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
Last month plans for a heavyweight showdown were dashed when a legal ruling in the United States wrecked a proposed fight in Saudi Arabia on August 14th.
An arbitration hearing upheld claims from fellow heavyweight Deontay Wilder that he was contractually owed a third fight with WBC champion Fury, with Joshua then labelling his countryman a “fraud” on Twitter.
It means Joshua will now face Oleksandr Usyk in September while Fury will take on Wilder for their trilogy on July 24th and victory for both Britons would fuel more talk of a potential undisputed bout.
But Matchroom promoter Hearn said: “AJ never felt they wanted the fight, he never felt like Fury wanted it.
“He always doubted it and when it fell through he was like ‘I f****** knew it, you’re f****** jokers, all of you’ so I guess it was very strange to see him do the tweets and he fired a few out didn’t he. He usually does one and goes quiet.
“I think AJ, in his head, probably thinks the fight will never happen. I would like to be more hopeful, and I think it will happen.
“If AJ knocks out Usyk and Fury knocks out Wilder then in four months we are talking about an even bigger fight. One could lose or look bad but I do get the feeling if they both win then the fight is huge. I am hoping it works out for the best.”
With the prospect of an all-British heavyweight contest over for now, Joshua has turned his focus to an expected meeting with Ukrainian boxer Usyk.
Talks between the two parties continue, but a date of either September 18 or 25 is expected to be finalised with the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium also likely to host the bout.
Fury has already suggested his fellow Briton will lose and Hearn admitted that talk is fuelling Joshua in the build-up to facing Usyk, who was undisputed cruiserweight champion before he made the step up in weight two years ago.
Speaking at Matchroom HQ in Brentwood, where alongside new partner DAZN plans for a three-week schedule of Fight Camp were unveiled, Hearn added: “AJ knows how good Usyk is but he wants to do a job on him because he also knows people are unsure about him winning the fight and I think he likes that.
“He has done four weeks of southpaw sparring up in Sheffield and he is gearing himself up for a big fight. We just hope that everywhere is open because we want to do 60-70,000 at Spurs.”
Prime Minster Boris Johnson announced on Monday a four-week delay to the end of England’s coronavirus restrictions due to a new Delta variant, but Hearn does not expect it to have any impact on Joshua’s fight with Usyk.
It will not affect Matchroom’s second instalment of Fight Camp, which begins on July 31st with Conor Benn putting his WBA continental title on the line against Mexico’s Adrian Granados.
Two further shows will take place in Brentwood on August 7th and August 14th which kicks off the new landmark partnership with DAZN, the leading sports streaming platform.
A limited number of spectators will be able to attend the shows with women’s world champion Shannon Courtenay and heavyweight Joshua Buatsi in action alongside a number of other fighters from the Matchroom stable.
Hearn is excited about the prospect of exposing his talent to a wider global audience after a five-year deal was struck with DAZN earlier this month to become Matchroom Boxing’s exclusive broadcast partner.
“We have mapped out a plan to take Conor Benn to the world title over five fights,” Hearn revealed.
“I think Granados is perfect. It is a bit tougher than Samuel Vargas, so I think he will go deeper into the fight and ask him a few questions.
“He still needs those type of fights and quite frankly when he is hitting the numbers he is hitting, we don’t want to see him in a 50-50 fight just yet. We want to see him prepared for that and he is someone who will benefit from the international schedule.
“I think he is perfect for the US shows, he is Spanish-speaking, so I would love to take him to Mexico and link him up with Canelo (Alvarez) and Eddie Reynoso on one of their shows.
“He can box in Spain, in Australia where his old man is based, so I really see him as a future global star. He is right up the top there in terms of ratings.”
There are also plans for two-weight world champion Katie Taylor, Buatsi and Lawrence Okolie to fight in America before the end of 2021.
Meanwhile, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, who recently agreed a deal to be promoted by Hearn, is set to return to the ring on September 11 – the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks – in America with DAZN expected to broadcast the fight and a number of tributes planned to mark the occasion.
