Hearn Slams Fury, Loma And Bivol’s Return
Eddie Hearn has questioned Tyson Fury’s decision to reject fights with Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk.
The comments arrived in the aftermath of Fury’s statement in which he questioned the viability of facing the two. Fury is currently getting ready to face Francis Ngannou on October 28th, 2023, for a reported $50 million.
The bout will see him face an MMA fighter who has never boxed before. Therefore, the finances indicate that Fury is targeting lower-risk fights for the highest purse. And at the age of 34, Fury may not have long left in the sport.
But given that Usyk and AJ are the two biggest fights out there, Hearn could not fathom why Fury would turn down such bouts.
Hearn On Fury
“He said he’s not interested in AJ, he’s not interested in undisputed, he’s not interested in [Oleksandr] Usyk. He says he just wants the ‘Big Boys,’ but I don’t know who is bigger than those two.There’s massive money for those fights, and there’s legacy for those fights, so hopefully, he [Fury] wants to create a great legacy in boxing. He may be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. I think he should try and prove it. You can’t [claim you’re one of the best heavyweights of all time].
“He may be. I think he’s favorite against Usyk and favorite against AJ at the moment, but until he fights them, you can’t say you’re one of the greatest heavyweights ever, and that’s what’s frustrating because he may be,” Hearn
Fury’s Future
Ultimately, Fury has shown that he does stand firm in negotiations even if the result is the fight breaking down. The negotiations with Usyk proved that, as the Ukrainian accepting a 70-30 split against him was not enough to get the deal over the line. And there is no getting away from that.
Loma Vs. Kambosos
Meanwhile, Vasiliy Lomachenko could face George Kambosos Jr. in 2024.
That is according to Bob Arum. The Ukrainian has made the decision to not box in 2023 following his controversial loss to Devin Haney.
Despite coming out second best via a unanimous decision, the majority of the boxing community were adamant that Loma had won the fight.
So much so that even Shakur Stevenson labelled it a ‘robbery.’ The result ultimately deprived Loma the chance to become the undisputed lightweight champion of the world.
And yet, he could have had the chance to face Shakur for the vacant WBC belt. The Ukrainian was the highest-ranked contender for the belt, but Stevenson had to look elsewhere. But next year Loma could be ready for a comeback.
“Loma feels he was cheated out of his fight with Haney, and the fight was debatable as far as who won it. I think he’s taking some time off, and we’ll look to match him with Kambosos next year. I think he’s taking some time off, and we’ll look to match him with Kambosos next year,” Arum said
Bivol’s Next Fight
In addition, Dmitry Bivol is reportedly in talks for a fight with Lyndon Arthur at the back end of the year.
Such a bout would be a voluntary defence of his WBA light heavyweight title after talks over a bout with Canelo Alvarez broke down.
Bivol has not entered into the boxing ring since his last fight against Zurdo Ramirez, as he defeated the then undefeated Mexican via a unanimous decision.
The fight marked a second victory over a Mexican following his win over Canelo. The talks over an undisputed bout with Artur Beterbiev were ruled out following the decision of the WBC to ban Russian fighters fighting for their belt.
As a result, Beterbiev will defend his belts against Callum Smith. Therefore, Arthur could be a good option before a mega fight is considered moving forward.
Arthur’s last fight was a tenth-round-stoppage win over Braian Suarez. However, if a fight with Bivol cannot be agreed upon, then a bout with Craig Richards may be a possibility.
The latter has not been in the ring since his loss to Joshua Buatsi last year, so Arthur could prove a useful comeback fight if Bivol is not the table.
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