By: Sean Crose
“Before this terrible incident, we were geared up to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury,” Anthony Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn told First Round TV – via The Sun. “Obviously, that is not happening now, and I don’t know if it will ever happen right now.” There’s been talk of the two towering Englishmen throwing down for years now. Even at this moment, when neither man is in possession of a word title belt, the possibility if the two former world champions squaring off would make fan’s mouths water, particularly in Britain. Due to a horrible and deadly automobile accident involving Joshua early in the new year, however, all plans have had to be put on hold.
“I don’t think there is any guarantees he fights again,” Hearn said of Joshua. “But at the same time, I expect him to because it is something that he loves.” Hearn went on to indicate that the accident, which caused two of the people in the automobile to die, had a bigger impact on Joshua than some might have imagined. “From a boxing sense, physically it wasn’t easy what he went through either. People probably don’t realize the extent of that.” With that being said, Hearn made it clear that Joshua’s head is still in the game. “He has been training,” said Hearn, “but he is not ready yet and won’t be for a while to return to boxing training.”
Joshua, for those who may not know, has been one of the most prominent heavyweights of the past decade or so. Winning, losing, then re-wining numerous belts, the statuesque, hard hitting Londoner proved himself to be a high level attraction over the years. He was last seen knocking the brash American novelty boxer Jake Paul halfway to oblivion. Word was that he and Fury would finally get it on in the ring sooner rather than later, but the deadly automobile accident put an end to such talk – and understandably so.
With that being said, Fury himself is returning to the ring after losing for the second time to current divisional kingpin Oleksandr Usyk (who has also bested Joshua on two occasions). Although unafraid to be obnoxious, Fury has nonetheless treated the Joshya tragedy with sympathy. “This is so sad,” he said in the aftermath of the crash. “May God give them (those who perished in the accident) a good bed in heaven.”
