JAKARTA Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn assessed that his client Anthony Joshua (AJ)'s decision to approve the fight against Dillian Whyte had a very big risk.
Joshua is certain to enter the ring against Whyte on August 12 at the O2 Arena, London, England. This duel could interfere with Joshua's plan to fight Deontay Wilder.
Joshua is close to reaching an agreement to face former WBC heavyweight champion Wilder in December in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, if you lose then most likely his plans against Wilder could fail.
Hearn said if he lost then Joshua could still continue the fight against Wilder. However, there will be financial consequences, namely Joshua loses a great opportunity to get paid.
"This match is very wild because AJ has locked up the fight against Wilder for December. We had a meeting last week with the [Arab] Saudi side," Hearn said.
"Obviously, it was one of the biggest fights in boxing, and he wanted to fight on the sidelines of a plan against Wilder. He insisted on fighting Dillian Whyte. I'm not too happy because I know it's dangerous," he added.
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In addition to financial risks, if you lose against Whyte, Joshua also has the potential to lose the opportunity against Wilder. On the contrary, Whyte will exchange places against Wilder.
"It's a fight that builds on emotion. They don't like each other. You see what happened last time in O2, it's going to be an incredible fight on August 12", Hearn said.
Hearn said Joshua should not be in the ring against Whyte next month if he wants to keep his chances against Wilder.
"I don't know how the fight against Whyte was. However, we have been clearly informed that the agreement on the table is not an agreement if he loses to Dillian Whyte. They don't want him to fight against Dillian Whyte," he said.
Joshua last fought last April when he beat Jermaine Franklin. It was his first win since two consecutive defeats against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 and August 2022, respectively.
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