Who is next for Anthony Joshua?

“So we spoke last night to his team and this morning," Hearn told iFL TV. "We made an offer, and they felt that offer was unacceptable. We may be too far out on the money to make that fight. We’re looking at two other opponents for August 12. The key for us, if we can’t make the Deontay Wilder fight it’s not that it has to be Dillian. AJ wants it, that’s the fight AJ wanted."

There is a massive money offer in the Middle East for Wilder and Joshua to fight, with Hearn recently returning from a trip to Riyadh where he met with officials from Saudi Arabia. The American is keen on the bout, as is Joshua, but nothing is absolutely signed of today.

"If we’ve got the Wilder fight done, we can fight someone else from the top 15 on August 12," Hearn added. "We still want a decent, proper fight to prepare yourself for Deontay Wilder. But if we can’t get the Wilder fight done, then we need a much bigger fight on August 12, or we look at Tyson Fury in September.

"But I believe, and Frank spoke to the guys at Skills Challenge last night, that we’re going to get that fight made with Wilder. “So once we do that August 12th, if we can’t make a Dillian Whyte fight, then we take someone else in the top 15. AJ’s desire to fight Dillian Whyte.

“For me, I think if you’ve got Deontay Wilder locked in for December, fighting Dillian Whyte on August 12th is risky, bear in mind the amount of money you’re about to fight Deontay Wilder for, but he and Derrick James specifically requested Dillian Whyte. The issue is the money Dillian Whyte wants and the money AJ wants.

"The market is starting to change a little bit in general for boxing, and I don’t think we can get to the number that Dillian wants for that fight, in all honesty. I think Dillian wants to fight, and I think AJ wants to fight, but we may well run out of time."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...30c1b7a&ei=121

ANTHONY JOSHUA could look to face former sparring partner Agit Kabayel after his rematch with Dillian Whyte collapsed.

AJ and Whyte were in negotiations to fight on August 12 but Eddie Hearn came out to say the deal broke down.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...98-1.jpg?w=620

And now the promoter has named European champion Kabayel - who sparred AJ in 2018 - as a potential replacement.

Hearn said on Boxing Social: “Kabayel was the European champion, he’s top 15.

"He’s on a list of four or five that it could be, but we need to close it out this weekend really if he's going to fight on August 12."

Kabayel, 30, is unbeaten at 23-0 and fought as recently in March, beating Agron Smakici.

Joshua, 33, returned with a victory in April against Jermiane Franklin, 29, his first under coach Derrick James.

So Hearn wants the pair to have one more bout together before the proposed Saudi Arabia blockbuster with Deontay Wilder, 37, in December.

He claimed Whyte, 35, turned down an offer to fight Joshua in a rematch of the grudge match he lost in 2015.

But the fuming former world title challenger hit back to set the record straight.

Whyte told SunSport: "They’re talking rubbish. I haven’t turned down the fight.

"All I got, after Eddie talked publicly and often about making me an offer to fight AJ, was a very short email late in the evening on Friday 2 June.

"I absolutely 100 per cent want to fight AJ and called Eddie to discuss the offer but couldn’t get hold of him.

"I messaged him too. I didn’t hear back from him so I sent him an email to confirm I wanted the fight.

"I didn’t turn down the offer or propose a counter-offer. All I did was ask normal questions on his three-line email so-called offer.

"Even before I emailed, Eddie was already saying publicly that his offer was unacceptable. So, why make it in the first place?

"It is out of order to use me to boost AJ’s value in negotiations for the Wilder fight, without any intention to fight me.

"Heavyweight boxing is in an absolute mess at the moment and bulls*** like this doesn’t help."

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/22772...whyte-rematch/

Anthony Joshua's team have inserted a one-way rematch clause in his favour in a late addition to the contractual terms which has complicated negotiations for a heavyweight fight with Dillian Whyte.

Whyte resumed negotiations last week after he had verbally challenged promoter Eddie Hearn over a breakdown in communication regarding what would be a hotly-anticipated rematch, which it is hoped will be staged at The O2 on August 12.

The Brixton man has indicated he would take the proposed bout against his British rival - and is open to a "winner-takes-all and moves on" fight.

"I've been up for fighting Joshua since the day I lost to him in 2015," Whyte previously told Sky Sports.

"The score is 1-1 so far. He's won one. I beat him in the amateurs, he beat me in the pros so I want to get even."

"I would love nothing more than to have a chance to avenge my defeat," he added.

"I'll just go to war. I want to go to war because I think that's a good way to fight him, pressure him, back him up and start getting him on the back foot as early as possible and I'm strong enough, I'm big enough to do that.

"I carry enough power obviously to back him up and to knock him out."

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...f4daf32&ei=347

Hearn has now told Boxing Social: "Against my advice, Joshua came back last night and said, 'I don't give a f*** about the rematch clause, I'm gonna knock him out, so just tell him to sign the contract.'

"Dillian Whyte had replied to us and said, 'I'm not gonna do any promotion around the event, I don't want a rematch clause, blah, blah, blah.'

"So we've just gone back now and given him [a young contender's] promotional requirements, no rematch clause, August 12, done."

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...eontay-wilder/

Can't help thinking that AJ will not be in boxing for much longer. He was never as good as the hype made him out to be earlier on (good though he was) and he has certainly lost that 'eye of the tiger' nowadays?

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Originally Posted by X

Can't help thinking that AJ will not be in boxing for much longer. He was never as good as the hype made him out to be earlier on (good though he was) and he has certainly lost that 'eye of the tiger' nowadays?

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Watch him now beat Whyte and Wilder this year.

Whilst Whyte and wilder aren't donkeys that's nothing that Joshua hasn't done before, he already beat Whyte and wilder despite being a good athlete and very determined is just a bit of a bad boxerjoshua would surely be a big favourite against both right now.

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Originally Posted by palmerq

Whilst Whyte and wilder aren't donkeys that's nothing that Joshua hasn't done before, he already beat Whyte and wilder despite being a good athlete and very determined is just a bit of a bad boxerjoshua would surely be a big favourite against both right now.

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I'm sorry did I lose something in the translation? I must've done a Rip Van Winkle while Joshua was beating Wilder.



Ok sorry... I just caught on, just before hitting "Submit." ;D

Got caught by the punctuation bug and only now just reread the sentence and got your meaning. :D

Decent enough at least they're not waiting until Christmas. Sounds like AJ again going on about going for ko but I'm not sure that's there as with Franklin. But familiarity and given the dents they put on each other 7,8 years ago could see it open up early, or have no chose but to. Heavyweights actually fighting decent competition twice a year :-X. Sign me up for that. This might possibly erupt into a really good fight.

Odd we were complaining about the inactivity of the heavyweights because of the Saudi money and now they may all fight before December. They are all doing it for different reasons but at least they are competing.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0XHgDfa...g&name=900x900

will the undercard be anything like this? (from the first fight)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F0apxlDW...g&name=900x900

I reckon this will be a decent scrap. Not the one we want to see of course. Fancy whyte to pull off the win here too.

Hope dubois beats usyk and whoever fury fights hope they ko him too so they're all out of the picture...

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Originally Posted by Mark TKO

Hope dubois beats usyk and whoever fury fights hope they ko him too so they're all out of the picture...

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oleksandr did everything to try & fight tyson, even accepted a seventy thirty split. oleksandr needs to fight & daniel is an easy tune up, then he'll probably fight another mandatory

Yep I put little or no blame at Usyks door to be honest. Just sick of the whole charade.