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“What Do You Gain?”: The Core Of Eddie Hearn’s Argument Against Anthony Joshua Vs. Itauma

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Anthony Joshua

Promoter Eddie Hearn states that he sees it as zero gain for Anthony Joshua in fighting the 20-year-old Moses Itauma.

He feels it’s a lose-lose situation, anyway you look at it. Itauma (13-0, 11 KOs) is too young and inexperienced for the former two-division heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to receive any credit for beating him.

A GAINLESS PROPOSITION

On the other hand, if Joshua, 35, is beaten by Itauma, it would mean his career is “over” because he’s lost to a guy that hasn’t beaten anyone notable during his two-year pro or his entire amateur career. Itauma is being rushed to the top without fighting any of the good contenders. Fans are making a big deal about his recent first-round knockout victory over the faded British journeyman Dillian Whyte, but he wasn’t facing a quality top-tier heavyweight.

Anthony Joshua Moses Ituma

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The Young Lion’s Risks

Joseph Parker

Fabio Wardley

Daniel Dubois

Richard Torrez Jr.

Lenier Pero

Bakhodir Jalolov

Martin Bakole

Itauma could lose to one or more of those fighters, and the hype would end abruptly about him being the next King of the division. At the very least, those heavyweights would age Itauma, wear him down, and leave him a less capable fighter than the one that rolled off the assembly line in 2023.

WEIGHING THE GAIN

“I don’t really look at the Moses fight and think that’s a fight for AJ,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports about a fight between Anthony Joshua and Moses Itauma. “There are many reasons for that. One, what do you gain out of it?”

Joshua doesn’t come out ahead beating Itauma because he’s so inexperienced. Moses has essentially fought 13 tomato cans as a pro, and there’s a ton of artificial hype created based on those wins. The fans aren’t even waiting to see him in with a real heavyweight before they anoint him as the new King of the division.

There will be a lot of sour fans if Itauma is exposed when he gets in with a good fighter for the first time. It’ll teach fans a lesson not to buy into fake hype and be tricked by fool’s gold.

Itauma’s Flaws

Itauma lacks the amateur background for people to have an accurate gauge of whether he’s good or not. He didn’t fight the cream of the crop from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, and the United States when he was an amateur. The one decent fighter he fought, Stylianos Roulias of Greece, had him on the run all night, acting like he was being chased by an angry junkyard dog in their fight on November 23, 2022.

Roulias showed how to give Itauma problems by attacking him nonstop, landing hard, meaningful punches, and making him feel the pain. What that fight showed is that Itauma doesn’t like to get hit, and will do anything to avoid tasting leather.

THE ZERO-SUM GAME

“Moses is a very good fighter. If you win, you’ve beaten up a 20-year-old. If you lose, you’ve lost to a 20-year-old and your career’s over. It’s a dangerous fight. I rate Moses very highly,” said Hearn.

Joshua’s career would be seen as “over” by fans if he were to be blown out by the inexperienced Itauma. Losing to Daniel Dubois by a fifth-round knockout last September is already a signal to fans that AJ’s career is done. But if Itauma were to do something similar or worse, it would destroy Joshua’s credibility and marketability with fans.

Joshua’s popularity remains high, and he can make big money in fights against Jake Paul and Tyson Fury. If that’s his angle, the purses he would get fighting Paul and Fury would be extraordinary. Fighting Itauma, the money wouldn’t be the same because he hasn’t been around long enough to build a worldwide fanbase.

Fighting in the Trenches

“I think that Moses has a lot of work to do. He’s an extraordinary talent, but we have no idea if he can tick the boxes that are required to be a true great and a true champion in the division,” Hearn said. “What’s his chin like? What’s it like when it gets really tough in the trenches?” said Hearn.

Eddie brings up some good points. We don’t know how well Itauma will perform against quality heavyweights that are throwing back at him, forcing him into a grueling fight, and applying pressure. Dillian Whyte, 37, looked terrified, not throwing any meaningful punches in his defense before being knocked out in one round by Itauma in their headliner on August 16, 2025.

Other than Whyte, Itauma has fought no one notable. Although Moses is now ranked #1 by the WBA and WBO, his opposition has been of marginal quality all the way through his 13-fight professional career.

Examining the Record

Dillian Whyte: 37

Mike Balogun: 41

Demsey McKean Mariusz Wach: 45

Ilja Mezencev Dan Garber: 40

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BOXING

Anthony Joshua offered historic fight after missing out on Jake Paul

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua offered historic fight after missing out on Jake Paul showdown

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua has been offered the chance to fulfill his dream of fighting in Africa after talks with Jake Paul led nowhere.

Boxing’s latest disruptor Paul made a lot of noise about a bout with the former heavyweight world champion, with the American instead opting for an exhibition fight with compatriot Gervonta “Tank” Davis.

Joshua’s boxing career has been paused by surgery on his elbow over the summer, with his return to the ring pushed back from the end of 2025 to the start of next year.

Eddie Hearn gives brutal assessment of '50-50' Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul fight

READ: Anthony Joshua keeps getting disrespected as boxing legacy is no

Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn has hinted that Joshua’s comeback fight could be hosted in Africa, following offers for an event to be staged in Ghana.

Speaking on the Flash Knockdown podcast, Hearn shared: “As the time ticks by, it’s probably more likely that we see [Joshua] in the ring again for a January/February date if I’m honest. I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December.

“He’s been travelling about a bit but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. But these big fights take time and every AJ event is a massive event. It was well publicised about the meetings that took place in Ghana over the last couple of weeks.

“There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa. However, when you are doing site deals a lot of it depends on when the host wants to stage the show. So, if Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January or February, then that’s the offer.”

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith flew to Ghana in August to review the Accra Sports Stadium in the country’s capital, as well as hold talks with Ghanaian-based Legacy Sports, who have recently worked with Amir Khan in hosting events in Africa.

Capable of holding 40,000 for national team football matches, Smith remarked that the usage of the pitch could allow between ‘50,000 and 60,000’ fans to watch a Joshua fight.

Over the years Joshua has spoken about his desire to fight on the continent, with both of his parents of Nigerian descent. The Olympic gold medallist also has a tattoo showing the outline of Africa on his right arm.

As far back as 2017 Joshua told the Daily Star: “I’d like to fight in Africa. People set records and trends for others to follow and I think it would be great because Muhammad Ali did it and he’s one of the great champions we had.

“That would be class, sometime in my career. Even if it was an exhibition match – against [Wladimir] Klitschko – in 10 years’ time.”

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Eddie Hearn’s Risky Plan To Resurrect Anthony Joshua’s Career A

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Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn’s Risky Plan To Resurrect Anthony Joshua’s Career Against A Dangerous Tune-Up Opponent

Eddie Hearn says they’ve got to choose Anthony Joshua’s tune-up opponent “carefully” for early 2026 to prepare him for a big fight in the summer against the man he hopes will be Tyson Fury.

THE WEIGHING OF RISKS

Hearn wants to avoid Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) suffering an upset defeat and ruining his plans for one of the popular heavyweights. The four names that Hearn has mentioned for his warm-up fight are still risky for him, as he’ll have been out of the ring for 16 to 17 months following elbow surgery and a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024.

Anthony Joshua secures ringside ticket to discover next opponent but has exciting 'plan B' | talkSPORT

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Joshua’s Four Candidates

Tony Yoka

Efe Jagba

Frank Sanchez

Jared Anderson

Those are still risky fights for Joshua, who turns 36 next month on October 15. Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KOs) would be a potential nightmare due to his power and 6’6″ size. With a cannon right hand, he could ruin Hearn’s plans for AJ. The 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka (14-3, 11 KOs) isn’t an easy out either.

He can punch, and his 6’7″ size makes him a threat to Joshua. Although Yoka has lost several times in the last three years, those were competitive fights in which he landed a lot of heavy shots. “We’ve got to choose carefully for the next fight, and I think the best way in all of this is just to be honest and say the next fight will be a comeback fight to build into a roll of the dice next summer,” Eddie Hearn said to Sky Sports Boxing. “We want that to be against Tyson Fury. If it’s not, it’s going to be a massive fight.”

THE SAFER PATH OPTIONS

There are lighter punching heavyweights near the bottom of the top 15 that Joshua could fight that would give him a better chance of winning. Given that he’s coming off a long break and a bad knockout loss to Dubois, choosing one of these fighters, I believe, would be a safer choice for AJ: Johnny Fisher Joseph Goodall Michael Hunter Mahmoud Charr “We need a top-15 guy [next].

We need someone so that AJ can come back in a competitive fight after being out for what will be over a year and get himself ready for what will be one last roll of the dice,” said Hearn. A History of Rebuilds For Joshua’s four-fight rebuild job in 2023 and 2024, Hearn chose four lower-level fighters whom he did well against.

Although technically Otto Wallin and Jermaine Franklin were contenders, they weren’t a threat to beating him. Those types of heavyweights would be perfect for AJ to fight in early 2026 to keep him on course for a summer blockbuster. “A defeat now at this stage of his career would be devastating to those plans. So we need to get it right,” said Hearn. Another knockout loss would put Joshua in a position where he would need to decide whether it’s worth it to continue his career.

With his power, speed, size, and pedigree, he could rebuild himself quickly if he could stay busy enough to squeeze in three or four fights in a year and a half. That’s unlikely, given his age and his increasing tendency to fight once a year. “Joshua’s at a crossroads, but he’s got the heart to come back. Look at Holyfield at 34, coming off a knockout loss to reclaim greatness. AJ’s 36, not done yet, but the next fight will tell us a lot,” said writer Tom Gray to Sporting News, talking about Joshua’s next fight in early 2026.

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“We Have To Be Honest”: Anthony Joshua Comeback Plans Take D

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Anthony joshua

Anthony Joshua Comeback Plans Take Disappointing Twist

Anthony Joshua has now been out of the ring for a full 12 months.

The former two-time unified world heavyweight champion last fought in September 2024 when he was stopped inside five rounds by then IBF ruler Daniel Dubois, who has since lost his title to undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk,

Joshua has been recovering from an elbow injury but is now back in the gym and looking to make a comeback as he works towards more big nights in 2026, hopefully against the likes of long-time rival Tyson Fury.

Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

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Speaking to Sky Sports, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, was honest about the level at which Joshua will come back after so long out.

“We’ve got to choose carefully for the next fight, and I think the best way in all of this is just to be honest and say the next fight will be a comeback fight to build into a roll of the dice next summer. We want that to be against Tyson Fury. If it’s not, it’s going to be a massive fight.

“We need a top-15 guy [next]. It’s not going to be Fury, Usyk, Dubois, all of those top guys. We need someone so that AJ can come back in a competitive fight after being out for what will be over a year and get himself ready for what will be one last roll of the dice.”

Though fans will be disappointed that the Olympic Gold Medals and twice unified champ is once again returning for a lower level fight, it’s fair to say that a loss for Joshua at this stage will be devastating to his career plans, so it’s important he gets back to winning ways before one final push, with Martin Bakole one man who has called him out recently.

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BOXING

Why Anthony Joshua could retire from boxing sooner than

By
Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua could retire from boxing sooner than anyone thought

Anthony Joshua might hang up his gloves if he suffers defeat in his upcoming bout, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.

The former two-time heavyweight world champion hasn’t stepped into the ring since his loss to Daniel Dubois last September. Following recent elbow surgery, he’s now planning his comeback to the squared circle. Hearn has disclosed that the British fighter is scheduled to compete in January, with his sights set on bigger names next summer.

YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul was among the potential opponents discussed, with a clash seemingly lined up for early next year. Paul was so keen to face the heavyweight that he was prepared to accept just ONE PER CENT of the fight purse. But the bout collapsed after the ‘Problem Child’ confirmed he’ll be taking on Gervonta Davis instead, reports All Out Fighting.

Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

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With Joshua and his camp now exploring other options, Hearn has opened up about his star client’s future, warning how a loss at this point would be “devastating” to hopes of future showdowns against Tyson Fury or other elite heavyweights. “We’ve got to choose carefully for the next fight and I think the best way in all of this is just to be honest and say the next fight will be a comeback fight to build into a roll of the dice next summer,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

“We want that to be against Tyson Fury. If it’s not, it’s going to be a massive fight. We need a top-15 guy [next]. It’s not going to be Fury, Usyk, Dubois, all of those top guys. We need someone so that AJ can come back in a competitive fight after being out for what will be over a year and get himself ready for what will be one last roll of the dice. A defeat now at this stage of his career would be devastating to those plans. So we need to get it right.”

Topping Hearn’s wish-list is an all-British clash between Joshua and Fury. The ‘Gypsy King’ stepped away from boxing in January following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, but shocked supporters in July by reversing his retirement decision. Yet just weeks later, the former two-time heavyweight champion ruled out any immediate return to action.

Regarding a potential Fury versus Joshua bout, Hearn confessed: “Right now all that’s in my mind in an ideal scenario is to fight Tyson Fury next year. That’s the big focus. From a common-sense perspective the fight has to happen in 2026 but common sense and Fury’s decisions don’t always gel together. He’s got to want to come back. It’s a personal decision.”

Prior to his return, Hearn has confirmed it won’t be against fighters such as Daniel Dubois, Oleksandr Usyk or Joseph Parker. Tony Yoka’s name has been mentioned in recent weeks, whilst the victor of the Efe Ajagba-Frank Sanchez IBF eliminator represents another possibility. Ghana has been mooted as one of the potential venues for the upcoming contest.

Speaking about Joshua’s comeback, Hearn disclosed: “There’s been no conversations with [Yoka] about the fight but it’s not going to Fury, Usyk, Dubois, Moses [Itauma], Parker, it’s just not going to be one of those guys next. If there was a way to win a world title it would be amazing to see him become a three-time world heavyweight champion.”

When is Anthony Joshua’s next fight?

With Joshua presently recuperating from surgery on his elbow – as previously mentioned, his promoter anticipates the boxer will return early next year. An opponent is yet to be confirmed. ‘AJ’ hasn’t competed since enduring a crushing knockout loss to Dubois last September.

A rematch with ‘Triple D’ could be on the cards after Dubois’ manager – Sam Jones – welcomed the idea of a second showdown with ‘AJ’, stating: “The rematch with AJ is always there. I’m a big AJ fan – I’ve made no secret of that. He’s a proud man, and I know he won’t want to keep seeing that knockout by Daniel on his screen. I’m sure he’ll want to right that wrong. And if he ever wants to, then let’s get it on. It’s all about what’s best for Daniel now – WBO, IBF, WBC. He belongs at the top table in heavyweight boxing. He’s an elite-level heavyweight. All those names you mentioned – Daniel will be back in the mix.”

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Eddie Hearn Reveals Plans for Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight After

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Eddie Hearn Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn Reveals Plans for Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight After Jake Paul Fight Collapse

Anthony Joshua’s next fight looked to be against Jake Paul, but with the news the former social media star is facing Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis instead, speculation has naturally turned to who the British heavyweight superstar will box next.

And, during a recent interview with Fight Hype, Joshua’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, spoke about who they will come back against once again.

Eddie Hearn Says Anthony Joshua Won’t Fight Until 2026
Anthony Joshua Post Win

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua won’t fight until 2026. ‘AJ’ has been rumoured for months to make a return to the squared circle later this year, with November being talked about heavily, however, after it was recently announced that Jake Paul will be fighting Gervonta Davis in November, plans have seemingly been pushed back for the former heavyweight world champion’s return.

Hearn recently spoke to Fight Hype and confirmed that Joshua will now instead fight in either January or February next year against someone else.

“We knew Jake might fight in November, we didn’t expect it to be Gervonta. So I don’t really know how that affects us in terms of would we do that fight? The issue is we won’t wait till November.

We are not going to wait until November to make our move, so it is very likely Anthony Joshua will fight in January or February against someone else.”

Now that we know roughly when Joshua will be fighting, talk can once again commence about who his opponent will be.

A fight against 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka has been heavily rumoured, and Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith was recently out in Africa looking at potential venues for the event, and Yoka has also confirmed that the fight has a strong chance of taking place in Africa.

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