07 July 2023 , 17:31
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Eddie Hearn has refuted Jake Paul's claim that Anthony Joshua is part of the problem in big heavyweight fights not happening.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul called on heavyweights such as Joshua, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to put their egos aside and sign to fight each other. Whilst praising other divisions for putting on undisputed fights, Paul said the heavyweight division is in "shambles" and also blamed promoters such as Hearn for the big fights not taking place.
Hearn has fired back at Paul's claim after Joshua's rematch against Dillian Whyte was announced yesterday. “We live in a world of criticism, don’t we? If you listened to Twitter you’d never really want to get out of bed in the morning,” Hearn told talkSPORT. "When you look at AJ’s CV, I don’t see the criticism. I think he’s always been in those big fights, and he is an occasion.
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“He’s going to make an absolute fortune to fight Deontay Wilder, but he wants to risk it all against Dillian Whyte because he loves the excitement, he loves the thrill. Even Oleksandr Usyk is facing Daniel Dubois before he maybe fights Tyson Fury. So, I think you’ve got a couple of good fights there for the heavyweight landscape."
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Former two-time world champion Joshua is pencilled-in to fight Wilder at the end of the year in Saudi Arabia, but he must get past Whyte if he is to secure the £60million payday. The Middle East event was also supposed to feature an undisputed clash between Fury and Usyk, but the fight has been delayed again after also falling through in April.
Anthony Joshua knocked out Dillian Whyte in their first fight (Getty)Joshua has looked a shell of his former self in recent years but will look to turn back the clock against Whyte on August 12, eight years after he knocked out his domestic rival in their first meeting. 'AJ' hasn't won a fight by knockout in over two years, but Hearn thinks if the Brit can stop Whyte it will put him in a great place heading into a fight against Wilder.
"Dillian will try to get in AJ’s head. He’ll look him in the eye, try to put doubts in his mind," Hearn added. "I know exactly what he’ll do. I think AJ’s up for that. I think he wants that at this stage in his career. I think if AJ can win by knockout it puts a massive statement out to the heavyweight division and you go into that Wilder fight with plenty of confidence. At this stage it’s win by any means necessary.”