Eddie Hearn: Anthony Joshua Silent After Tyson Fury’s Shock Retirement Announcement

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua has remained quiet following Tyson Fury’s sudden announcement of retirement.

The news came on Monday when Fury, known as the ‘Gypsy King,’ declared he was stepping away from boxing after suffering a defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last month.

“Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” Fury said in his retirement post.

“I’d like to announce my retirement from boxing. It has been a blast, I’ve loved every single minute of it, and I’m going to end with this: Dick Turpin wore a mask.”

The announcement has sent shockwaves through the boxing world, seemingly putting an end to the possibility of a long-anticipated clash between Fury and Joshua.

The fight, touted as a historic £150 million event, was expected to take place in 2025, offering both fighters a chance to restore their legacies following recent defeats.

Despite the buzz, Hearn shared that Joshua has not reacted to the news and remains focused on his own career.

Speaking to iFL TV, Hearn said, “Listen, one… we don’t really take it too seriously. Two… if it is serious, there’s nothing we can do about it anyway.”

“What do you think goes on? Do you think Josh is going to phone me up and go, ‘Oh Ed, have you seen the news, mate?’ He’s not that kind of guy.”

When asked if he had received any word from Joshua since Fury’s announcement, Hearn responded, “Not one,” before speculating on Fury’s intentions:

“He could have been doing it because he’s got the ump. He could have been doing it for some attention. He could have been doing it because it’s true. What’s the point in guessing?”

Former world champion George Groves believes Tyson Fury will come out of retirement to face Anthony Joshua in a blockbuster heavyweight clash, The PUNCH reports.

Fury announced his retirement on Monday following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk, but Groves suspects it’s a negotiation tactic rather than a final decision.

“I reckon it’s a negotiation tactic, maybe it’s a mind game thing with Anthony Joshua,” Groves told SunSport.

“I mean there probably is a significant part of him that thinks, ‘Oh I want to retire.’ And he might be speaking it into existence. But I don’t think he wants to retire.”

Anthony Joshua admits hopes for ‘big’ fight with Tyson Fury in 2025 – ‘It has to happen this year’

All eyes are on Tyson Fury’s next move after last month’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk. ‘The Gypsy King’ has insisted there is more to come despite his second career defeat, and Anthony Joshua has now set his sights on a clash with Fury later this year. Joshua insisted he and his team “can definitely make this fight happen”, revealing how he has got back on track after taking a break from boxing.

There has been incessant talk since about the prospect of a clash between Fury and Joshua, and the latter has now added more fuel to the fire.

“It’s a fight that I want to see,” Joshua said at The Ring Magazine Awards. “I’m a fan of boxing so I want to get that fight underway.

“When I’m in the gym everyone’s asking me, and the reason why I decided to do some interesting stuff is because I ain’t got many years ahead of me. I’ve had more years behind me.

“So what I want to do is leave the game with a bang and make an impact, be outlandish, great character, have fun with it while we’re doing it and go for the big fights, and Tyson Fury is one of them.

“Every time I see people they say ‘When are you fighting Fury?’. We’re talking about the Irish community, the English community, the Nigerian community, everyone’s asking me the same question.

“As a fighter, it’s up to me to deliver, and that’s why I’m saying it has to happen this year. Especially with His Excellency, Turki [Alalshikh], DAZN, Eddie [Hearn], Matchroom, and 258 behind me, we can definitely make this fight happen.”

Heavyweight Anthony Joshua says a fight with Tyson Fury “has to happen this year” as he looks to book his next bout.

A fight between the two British rivals has been spoken about for years, but has never come to fruition.

But with both men coming back from defeats in world title fights, Joshua confirmed Fury was the opponent he wanted to face next.

“It’s a fight I want to see because I am a fan of boxing. When I am in the gym, everyone is asking me [about this fight]. I ain’t got many years ahead of me. I want to leave the game with a bang and make an impact,” Joshua said.

“Everyone is asking me the same question. It’s up to me to deliver, that’s why I’m saying it has to happen this year.

“I think we can make this fight happen.”

Joshua was speaking at the Ring Magazine awards in London, where Oleksandr Usyk was also in attendance.

While speaking about Fury, Joshua admitted no talks had yet taken place with Fury’s team about a potential fight.

Fury lost to unified world champion Usyk in December while Joshua was stopped by IBF title holder Daniel Dubois in his most recent outing in September.

Chris Eubank Jr was also in attendance alongside his own rival Conor Benn.

Benn and Eubank Jr have held lengthy talks about their fight ever since Benn’s anti-doping suspension was officially lifted in November.

The camps have disagreed about the purse split, but Eubank Jr says the bout remains on track to happen in 2025.

“That fight will happen,” Eubank Jr said.

“We’re in negotiations and they are going very well. We’re at the last few things we’ve got to smooth out and then the fight will get announced. So yeah, big things are happening very soon.”

Tyson Fury would be a “massive favourite” against Anthony Joshua if the heavyweights fight this year, says former world super-featherweight champion Barry Jones.

British rivals Joshua and Fury have long been linked with fighting each other and are both coming off defeats in world title bouts.

Fury, 36, has already said he has no plans to retire following his loss to Oleksandr Usyk and Jones believes the Gypsy King showed against Usyk he has “plenty left” to give to boxing.

“Fury is a massive favourite but I think in general he was always a slight favourite [against Joshua],” Jones told the 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce podcast.

“He’ll want the Joshua fight because he’s almost beaten every fighter of his generation. It might be a different Joshua but it’s a different Fury.

“I think to get Joshua on his record in years to come will show how good he is.”

Jones believes the fight will happen in a stadium in the UK, but boxing expert Bunce disagrees.

Joshua, 35, was stopped by Daniel Dubois in their IBF world title fight last September, while Fury was outboxed by Usyk in a points defeat in December.

Bunce says another loss would be a massive blow to either man.

“The loser has a massive amount to lose,” Bunce said.

“Fury can lose to Usyk again no problem, Joshua can lose to Dubois again no problem.

“I just think this is a monumental fight, the loser of that drops a lot of ground pride-wise.”

‘I can’t see how Jonas beats Price’

Welterweight world champions Lauren Price and Natasha Jonas collide on 7 March in the first all-British unification fight of 2025.

Unbeaten Welshwoman Price, the WBA champion, challenges Jonas for her WBC and IBF titles.

Jones says 30 year-old Price is the favourite against Jonas, who at 40 became a two-weight unified champion last December.

“Jonas is a fighter in form, but I think Lauren Price is wrong for her in every facet,” Jones said.

“Price is not the biggest puncher but she’s strong, fast hands and stylistically it’s a hard fight for Natasha at her peak so now, she knows it’s a not a fight she would [have wanted to] take.”

“I think Price can be braver with her movement and although it will be an entertaining fight, I can’t see how Natasha wins.”