Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury fight update issued by Eddie Hearn in ‘beautiful call’ dream | Boxing | Sport

Eddie Hearn says it would be a “beautiful phone call” if Tyson Fury reneges on his retirement and agrees to fight Anthony Joshua. Fury’s next fight after his two points defeats against Oleksandr Usyk seemed destined to be a major British heavyweight bout with Joshua – but the Gypsy King stunned the sport by announcing his retirement.

Boxing fans have been desperate to see the duo face off in the ring for the best part of a decade. But unless Fury comes out of retirement, the fight will never happen. Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, hopes Fury will get bored in retirement and decide to box AJ.

“In an ideal world, Tyson Fury gets off the sofa and goes, ‘I’m bored. I wanna roll the dice with AJ’. And that phone call would be the most beautiful phone call I’ve had in my career, and it may come, but if it doesn’t, we’ve gotta find an opponent,” Hearn told The Sun.

“And, he’s gotta be 100 per cent physically right because this is arguably the most important decision and moment of his career because it’s the final ones.”

Joshua has been carrying an undisclosed injury since returning to the gym following his knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois last December. Hearn says it will take six weeks before the 35-year-old can punch properly.

His next fight could be one of his last, so his team are keen to make the correct decision over his next opponent. A rematch against Dubois remains a possibility, but the IBF champion wants a rematch against Usyk. Agit Kabayel and Joseph Parker – who hold the WBC and WBO interim belts respectively – are Joshua’s other options.

“We’re in no tearing rush,” Hearn continued. “The next move is so important for the last chapter, because that’s what it is.

“We [have] just gotta get it right and if we can’t get Dubois or if we can’t get Fury then we’ve gotta fight someone else. And that could be Parker. That could be Kabayel, that could be, I don’t know, Wilder, anyone.”

Meanwhile, boxing legend Ricky Hatton has urged Fury to come out of retirement and fight Joshua. He told Sky Sports: “Tyson’s retired before. It just so happens they were trying to make the Joshua fight. They were trying to make it for 10 years and it looks like they’re still not going to make it now Tyson’s retired.

“But I would take that retirement with a pinch of salt knowing Tyson. If he gets offered the right money, the right purse for the AJ fight, knowing Tyson as I do, I think he’d jump at it.”