Eddie Hearn revealed that during talks with Saudi Arabia, they requested an “easy fight” for Anthony Joshua on August 12 instead of long-time rival, Dillian Whyte.
Hearn and Saudi Arabia were in discussions about a dream fight between Joshua and Deontay Wilder, which is rumoured to be taking place in December, and according to Hearn, it was requested that AJ's next opponent could not be someone who could de-rail the plans for what would be one of the biggest fights in boxing.
When speaking to The DAZN Boxing Show, Hearn confirmed Joshua’s intentions to fight Whyte, but was aware of what was at stake if the former world heavyweight champion went onto lose the rematch at London’s O2 Arena.
“He wants to fight Dillian Whyte…but just to let you know if you lose this fight, you see this offer [to fight Deontay Wilder]? If you lose this fight, it’s off the table,” Hearn said.
“That made my bum go a little bit, but for AJ he’s like ‘No, I need to be beating people like Dillian Whyte to prepare myself for Deontay Wilder.’ and I like that attitude.”
Anthony Joshua’s rivalry with Dillian Whyte spans from the amateur scene, which saw Whyte triumph in an upset win in 2009.
Their first professional fight came in 2015 for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, and saw Joshua gain revenge with a seventh-round stoppage win.
Now the two will meet once more on August 12 in what is a crucial fight for their respective futures in the heavyweight division.