EDDIE HEARN has defended the failure to make a historic Battle of Britain between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
A mammoth domestic dust-up between the pair is back on the table following Fury’s second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk last month.
Boxing fans worldwide have been dying to see the pair throw down for the best part of ten years and have taken aim at their promoters for not making the fight happen sooner.
But Matchrom Boxing chief Hearn has defended all parties involved, telling Betfred: “[There’s] number of reasons [why it hasn’t happened yet].
“The time it was going to happen, which was the time we signed for the fight, was when Tyson had his arbitration with Deontay Wilder for the rematch.
“We signed to fight Tyson Fury and I believe Tyson was going to fight Anthony Joshua, but through the court ruling, he had to fight Wilder.
“That was taken out of our hands.”
Fury and Joshua were at the peak of their powers when they were on course to fight for the heavyweight marbles in 2021.
The pair, however, have lost a combined five fights since their two-fight series fell apart – although Hearn insists the duo are far from past it.
He said: “Timing’s everything and I still believe both fighters are close to the prime of their careers.
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“I know Tyson got beat, but he got beat by Usyk in a close fight.
“There’s no shame in that and he’s still a great fighter. AJ’s still a brilliant heavyweight.
“So I think it’s a tremendous clash and right now, it’s very difficult to pick a winner in that fight, which is of course enthralling for boxing fans.”
Hearn knows time is of the essence if Fury and Joshua are to finally duke it out.
But he plans to give the Gypsy King plenty of time to lick his Usyk-inflicted wounds before making his move.
When asked if any negotiations have taken place, the 45-year-old said: “It’s not something that we’ve talked through yet.
“We’re only a couple weeks on from Tyson Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
“If he does want to continue fighting, which I presume he does, then it’s an obvious fight to make.
“It’s the biggest fight in the sport still and you get people telling you that it isn’t, but tell me a bigger fight? There isn’t one.”
