Eddie Hearn responds to Tyson Fury's Anthony Joshua withdrawal concerns as major venue update emerges

Eddie Hearn has responded to Tyson Fury casting major doubt on an all-British heavyweight bout with Anthony Joshua, while an update on the fight taking place at Wembley has emerged.

Fury returns to action against 46-year-old Mariusz Wach in a non-televised bout in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday (July 24), before Joshua returns for his first fight since being involved in a fatal car accident that resulted in the tragic deaths of his friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele in December 2025, when he takes on Albania’s Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday (July 25).

The fights against relatively low-level opponents are intended to be warm-up bouts ahead of a proposed all-British showdown between Fury and Joshua later this year.

While Joshua appears keen to face Fury without looking past Prenga, the self-proclaimed Gypsy King has cast major doubt on the fight.

In a scathing rant on Sky Sports yesterday (July 23), Fury slammed Joshua, claiming he is open to fighting “somebody else” later this year rather than his fellow Brit.

"Let's not make this about silly Mr Bodybuilder,” Fury said.

“I'm not interested in him or his mates or anybody else. I don't give a **** about him. I don't care if I ever see him again in my life. If I do, I do. If I don't, I don't.

“I'm not interested in him.”

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Meanwhile, AJ maintained that he is “pushing” for the fight to take place at Wembley before aiming a dig at Fury’s appearance, joking that he’ll “help him transform his body from being a greedy belly into a bodybuilder”.

Eddie Hearn speaks out on Fury vs Joshua withdrawal concerns

Matchroom Boxing chief and Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has now weighed in with his thoughts after Fury sparked withdrawal fears, claiming Joshua is more likely to fulfil an agreement to fight the Gypsy King. He added that he harbours doubts about Fury’s participation.

"Look at history," Hearn explained to Sky Sports. "Check the facts, check the resume. If you really want to pick one fighter who's more reliable than the other, I don't think it's a close-run race.

"What fight has AJ ever signed for that he's not competed in? What fight has AJ ever pulled out of?

"He's got the most solid resume and the most professional attitude of any fighter I've ever worked with. Can we say the same about Tyson Fury? No. That's the reality of the situation.

"If odds are being thrown around about who might pull out of this fight, trust me, it isn't Anthony Joshua.

"Don't forget, AJ has not only fought every contender he could have, he also previously signed to fight Tyson Fury, who pulled out of the fight because of an arbitration ruling involving Deontay Wilder.

"So don't worry about AJ, he's as game as they come. But we have our doubts about whether Fury will turn up, especially if AJ looks great on Saturday night."

Sky Sports also issued an update on Fury vs Joshua taking place at Wembley Stadium, with Brent Council confirming it has yet to be contacted regarding an extended curfew, which would allow for 2 am ring walks.

The current curfew is set at 11 pm.