Eddie Hearn: Fury Didn’t Want Joshua At All, So Maybe Ruiz…

Article by Rick Mohamed

Eddie Hearn feels that Tyson Fury’s behavior showed he really didn’t want to fight Anthony Joshua, so now Andy Ruiz Jr is…

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom’s head and a top promoter in the boxing game, strongly feels that Tyson Fury really didn’t want to fight Anthony Joshua in their mutually agreed-to unification bout, scheduled for Aug 14 in Saudi Arabia. After a federal arbitrator ruled in former champion Deontay Wilder’s favor and ordered a Sept 15 fight between Fury & Wilder, Hearn feels that Fury’s subsequent activity favors that decision. 

He believes that there was zero attempt by Fury’s camp, which in this instance includes his rival, Top Rank Promotions CEO Bob Arum. Hearn told this to IFL TV: “I don’t believe that there was even a conversation, I don’t believe there was an offer”. 

Hearn thinks that the decision automatically shifted to making Wilder vs. Fury III, tentatively scheduled for July 24 @ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV., a reality, therefore nixing the Fury vs. Joshua fight. Is Hearn just crying over spilled milk and having a case of sour grapes, or does he have a point? 

These promoters have the ability to make and break fights. Many feel they wield so much power, maybe even too much power, in making fights. 

It’s obvious that promoters have the ability to make and break the sport of boxing. They’ve had this ability for many years, and today is no exception. 

This is why some fans are rooting for the success of a company like Triller, a newcomer to the boxing game. Triller seems to give more freedom to fighters, which is very good, plus it’s refreshing the sport. 

Triller is a new player that has no centralized person who is calling all of the shots (at least not yet); it just has the “Triller Fight Club”, and it’s growing. Triller recently nabbed the rights to air the fight between unified lightweight king Teofimo Lopez’ and contender George Kambosos on June 19 in Miami’s loanDepot Park, according to CBSSports.com. 

However, Hearn, Arum, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather control almost all of the fighters of note in the sport, so Triller is a ways off from wresting control of boxing from them. It’s a marshmallow world we live in, so get used to eating soft things. 

Now that the Wilder vs. Fury match seems all but certain, Hearn is looking elsewhere for a worthy opponent for Joshua. Fury, in an online Twitter fight with Joshua, has offered $20 million for a bare knuckle fight right now. 

That’s not gonna happen. 

The WBO has ordered Joshua to fight number one contender Oleksandr Usyk before fighting anyone else. After the Fury vs. Wilder fight, there is also the possibility of fighting the winner, thereby settling the argument of who’s the best heavyweight in the world debate once and for all. 

However, Hearn has opened up the new possibility of a suitable opponent for Joshua: former champion Andy Ruiz Jr. Ruiz has fought Joshua twice before: he KO’d Joshua in 7 and won his titles in their first fight June 2019, but lost them back to Joshua by unanimous decision in the 2nd fight, which was on Dec 2019. 

Ruiz last fought May 1, when he won by decision over Chris Arreola after being knocked down in the 1st round, then rallying to earn the victory. With the victory, many feel that the rejuvenated Ruiz, who lost over 50 pounds since beginning training for the fight, is again in the heavyweight championship conversation. 

Hearn is aware of Ruiz’ intentions: “It’s like deja vu, he Instagram messaged me, ‘I’m ready. Let’s do it, AJ vs. Ruiz Jr. III’, That’s a fight we’d be interested in,” he told IFL TV. 

That may be the fight that will happen, though the WBO will probably strip Joshua, allowing Usyk and possibly Joe Joyce battle for that title. An AJ vs. Usyk fight just doesn’t carry any real heat, but AJ vs. Ruiz Jr. III is definitely much more interesting and attractive. 

Fans would pay a pretty penny for that match. The conversation continues…LETSGOCHAMP

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