Tyson Fury Will Face Anthony Joshua This Year Despite Retirement Claim, Eddie Hearn

 Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has predicted Tyson Fury will come out of retirement to face Anthony Joshua—and the bout could take place before the end of this year.


Fury, 33, extended his unbeaten record to 32-0-1 in April when he finished Dillian Whyte in the sixth round of their Wembley duel. The Gypsy King said in his post-fight interview that he planned to honour a promise he made to wife Paris by retiring from the sport.


Fans and fellow fighters alike have raised suspicion with the claim and suggested Fury will indeed return to the ring. And boxing magnate Hearn would appear to concur after he took to social media and cast his judgement over whether the Wythenshawe native will finally face off against long-time rival Joshua.


The promoter told his 1.2million Instagram followers on Tuesday as cited by Sports Central: “I think you’ll see Joshua-Fury whatever happens, in all honesty. "But hopefully we can see it for the undisputed world heavyweight championship in December.”


For that to happen, 'AJ' would have to reclaim the IBF, WBO, and IBO and WBA (Super) heavyweight titles when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk in their upcoming rematch. The date and venue for their second showdown is yet to be cemented, with the latest reports suggesting the bout could be delayed until mid-August.


That would give former Olympian Joshua only four months or so to rest and prepare for Fury if Hearn's December prediction proved accurate. Given the tight turnaround between those dates, the promoter's premonition already appears uncertain at best.


Despite suggestions their fight will be postponed, Usyk's promoter, Alex Krassyuk, told Planet Sport that possibility had "not been discussed" by the parties. It's less certain Fury would be as motivated to step back into the ring to face Usyk if the Ukrainian defeated AJ a second time.


Joshua, 32, suffered the first loss of his professional career when he was stunned by Andy Ruiz Jr. in the seventh round of their June 2019 battle. He avenged that loss but incurred another blemish on his 24-2 record two years later when he fell to Usyk.


AJ was believed to have had a two-fight contract in place to face Fury in 2020, but the latter was forced to complete his trilogy against Deontay Wilder instead. The all-British affair could finally come to fruition in late 2022, though many fans will wait for more than Hearn's tip before they get too excited.

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