Hearn claims Tyson Fury and Joshua are in a different class
Hearn pointed the finger at Fury, who he accused of repeatedly changing deadlines and never actually wanting to face 'AJ' in the first place
Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn has taken a dig at Tyson Fury in the aftermath of his comfortable win over Derek Chisora.
'The Gypsy King' put his world heavyweight titles on the line last Saturday at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but despite seemingly dragging the contest out until the 10th round before winning via stoppage, it proved the uncompetitive affair that sceptics feared.
Fury's previous title defence came in April, where he KO'd Dillian Whyte in the sixth round. After initially insisting he was retired in the aftermath of that bout, he called out Anthony Joshua but negotiations between the pair fell through, with both sides left blaming each other for the collapse.
Hearn pointed the finger at Fury, who he accused of repeatedly changing deadlines and never actually wanting to face 'AJ' in the first place, instead favouring a tune-up contest with Chisora. It leaves Joshua still seeking his first opponent since being beaten for a second time by Oleksandr Usyk in August.
That was his third defeat in five fights, but Matchroom supremo Hearn has now sought to highlight the quality of his opponents. And he claims that by comparison Fury, who twice beat Deontay Wilder in an epic trilogy before he faced Whyte, hasn't taken on the best in the division on a consistent basis.
Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans: "Anthony Joshua's résume is in a different league to Tyson Fury's. Fury fought Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. That's it in terms of elite heavyweights. I know Dillian Whyte was a good fight, but I'm talking about top, top guys consistently."
That theory will be tested next year, with fans of the heavyweight division finally set to get the unification title bout they've long craved. Fury and Usyk have verbally agreed to a clash, with Saudi Arabia and Qatar the early favourites to host the blockbuster bout.
Regardless, Hearn's views prompted a mixed response, with @deancrutch disagreeing: "Fury beat two long reigning world champions at the top of their game to win his world title, and AJ beat Charles Martin. Case closed," he said. @DJKBOX101 joked: "Hearn makes me laugh when he goes through the names on Joshua's record, as if they are bonafide hall of famers."
But @Be_Safe79 pushed back, writing: "Povetkin, Parker, Pulev, Takam. All these guys aren't top fighters now but they were when AJ fought them and Fury never fought any of them."
