“If he feels like he needs a good fight, I like that because what that’s telling me is he ain’t quite sure of himself because he did 12 good rounds with Makhmudov, right? To a point where, do you really need more rounds? That’s what the fans will say. Does he need one more? Because it inserts that jeopardy that it could go wrong,” said Hearn to Sky Sports Boxing.
Hearn pointed to Fury’s recent comments about Joshua’s comeback bout and questioned why the former heavyweight champion now feels another outing is necessary.
“He said to us, ‘Oh, you don’t need another fight. We had four rounds with Jake Paul.’ I mean, in two years of boxing, like come on,” said Hearn. “You had 12 rounds with Makhmudov at Tottenham, but you still feel like you need more rounds to prepare yourself for Anthony Joshua.”
Fury defeated Arslanbek Makhmudov over 12 rounds in April after returning from retirement. At the time, many expected him to move directly into a fight with Joshua. Instead, Fury has continued pushing for another appearance before the British heavyweight clash.
Hearn does not believe extra rounds will make a difference when Fury eventually shares the ring with Joshua.
“But let me tell you something now. More rounds ain’t going to help you because I see it. When Makhmudov came forward in that fight, I just know what AJ’s going to do.”
The Matchroom promoter said Joshua’s focus remains on Prenga, but admitted a strong performance next month could send him into the Fury fight with renewed belief after a difficult period outside the ring.
“If we keep this confidence, if we can go in there and put a great performance together on July 25th, we go into that Tyson Fury fight with so much confidence. This will be a major moment for the sport, but July 25th has to be first,” said Hearn.
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