In the immediate aftermath of his defeat on Saturday night, Tyson Fury claimed Oleksandr Usyk went to hospital with a suspected broken jaw.
Yet Eddie Hearn doesn’t ‘think that’s true’, with the boxing promoter admitting he enjoyed the spectacle in Saudi Arabia.
In his post-fight press conference, Fury said Usyk had gone to hospital with a broken jaw.
The Ukrainian is believed to have been given the all-clear by doctors after a brief hospital visit, however, and his then conducted his own post-fight conference.
Boxing: Eddie Hearn thinks Tyson Fury was wrong when he claimed Oleksandr Usyk had broken his jaw
PA/REUTERS
Hearn, speaking on Matchroom’s YouTube channel, thinks Fury provided the wrong information after the fight.
But he’s now talked up the possiblity of Fury fighting Anthony Joshua later in the year, admitting it rests in the hands of His Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh.
“So much could happen,” the boxing promoter said.
“I’ve seen a lot of people talk about ‘great time for Usyk to retire’. That’s very kind of them, but also there’s a lot of money to be made in a rematch, and it was a good performance from him, so he might be ready for that [rematch].
“He’s been training for a long time. We’re about to hit June.
“You’d have to start training in August, end of July. It probably gives him five or six weeks off.
“Tyson Fury said Usyk broke his jaw; I don’t think that’s true, but it was a high-maintenance fight.”
He continued: “And Fury’s gonna wanna rest.
“Don’t forget, Fury’s come out of the [Francis] Ngannou fight [in October], gone into camp for the first date [in February].
“That was postponed, he got cut, he stayed in camp. He’s trained for a long time.
“I don’t think Tyson Fury is gonna be over the moon with five or six weeks off, but that’s the obligation, there’s a lot of money.
“Who knows? If Usyk’s injured, can’t make the date, do you make Fury against Joshua – with the winner fighting Usyk?
“I mean the answer for me is, ‘Yes, please.’
“But it’s down to His Excellency [Turki Al-Sheikh] and the fighters to make the decisions.
“They have a contracted rematch, but they have to be physically able to make that date, and I guess that’s the next obstacle to overcome.”
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Boxing: Oleksandr Usyk stunned Tyson Fury in their fight in Saudi Arabia over the weekend
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Joshua was written off as a faded force after his two defeats to Usyk.
But the Briton has since responded by winning his last four fights, resurrecting his career in the process.
Hearn says Joshua is prepared to fight anybody – insisting the 34-year-old is open to all possibilities.
“He’s ready to fight anybody,” Hearn continued.
“He’d love to fight Usyk again, he’d love to fight Tyson Fury, happy to fight Hrgovic, happy to fight Dubois, happy to fight [Joseph] Parker, happy to fight any of them – [Deontay] Wilder.
Boxing: Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua is prepared to face Oleksandr Usyk or Tyson Fury later in the year
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“You have not got a problem with Anthony Joshua.
“Anybody who wants it can get it, but at the same time, he wants to try and regain his world heavyweight championship.
“Yeah, potentially [he could fight earlier than September]. He’s ready to go.
“He was out training all week, he’s gonna go back to Riyadh for [1 June], he’s excited for that one.
“He’ll be training again out there, he lives in the gym, so we’re ready to go at any moment.”
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