Eddie Hearn, the CEO of Matchroom Boxing, is busy promoting the IBF super featherweight title this week in Cardiff, Wales, as current champion Shavkatdzhon Rakhimov will look to make his first world title defense against former champion Joe Cordina, on Saturday, April 22nd, on DAZN. The fight has an interesting sub-plot as Joe Cordina was stripped of the title after he pulled out of a November 5th fight that saw Rakhimov fight for his vacant world title.
Hearn was in the midst of promoting this upcoming battle of world champions when he took time to talk about one of his most iconic fighters - heavyweight, Anthony Joshua. While speaking to Kugan Cassius of iFL TV, Hearn outlined that Joshua will more than likely return in December.
A rumor that has been floating around the internet is an alleged concept of a heavyweight four-man tournament involving Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Oleksandr Usyk, and Tyson Fury, that would take place in the middle east. Hearn’s comments give some hope that this epic night of fights could be more than pure speculation.
“There is definitely conversations that have taken place. Just of plans where people would like to host Fury against Usyk, and AJ against Wilder on the same night,” furthered Hearn to iFL TV though making sure not to state this as fact. “It's going to cost a lot of money, but will be epic, and we will have those conversations.”
Joshua, who fought on April 1st, defeated Jermaine Franklin, with a new coach, Derrick James. The hope originally was that Joshua would return in July, but now it appears that no decision has been made for a summer return for Anthony Joshua, as a July fight could be an afterthought for a potential super-fight in December.
“There is no official decision in terms of whether AJ would fight in July,” stated Hearn about if Anthony Joshua will be back this summer after defeating Jermaine Franklin. ”Some of that may come around the deal or the decision or the completion of that fight in December. I would quite like to see him fight. I think he would like to fight In December. sorry in July, but right now, he's not in camp for July fight. We're focusing on getting the December fight over the line which is a fight of huge proportion.”
