Eddie Hearn has backed Anthony Joshua over his recent spat with former undisputed king Lennox Lewis.
The son of Barry also warned Joshua to regain his world title focus ahead of his highly-anticipated rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr.
Titled the ‘Clash on the Dunes’, the pair will collide in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on December 7th.
Ruiz, Mexico’s first heavyweight king, is aiming to reproduce his fireworks displayed in the first outing at Madison Square Garden. Joshua, for his part, looks for revenge in the Middle East.
‘AJ’ bids to reclaim his unified heavyweight champion status. The Briton had recently revealed his disillusion with the sport during an interview with Sky Sports called, ‘AJ: The Untold Truth’.
Hearn aired his views on some of Joshua’s comments.
“I think he’s just got to snap out of it,” Hearn told The Independent. “I think he was disillusioned with the sport because he wanted to fight Deontay Wilder.
“He couldn’t get that fight and, as he said in the interview, he didn’t really want to fight Andy Ruiz. But tough, you fought him and you fought a real hungry guy.
“I think the great thing about this promotion is that now, for the first time next week, he looks a man in the eyes who is the only man to beat him as a professional.
“It’s going to be absolutely huge. The whole world will stop to watch this fight.”
The Matchroom mogul is confident of Joshua avenging the first defeat of his career. Hearn is expecting a clinical performance as his career hangs by a thread.
LEWIS
Hearn has also admitted he isn’t surprised about ‘AJ’s’ distasteful comments on legend Lennox Lewis, citing a new approach may be needed before his clash with Ruiz.
“He’s not going to be giving Ruiz no belts to hold because he doesn’t have them anymore.
“He doesn’t even want to talk to him, he wants to knock him clean out. He didn’t have that feeling last time but it’s a new game now, a new game. Josh wants to take his head off.
“He’s thinking, ‘I’ve tried to be the role model, I’ve tried to be that guy, but people have slagged me off and said what they want to say. Now I’ll say something back’.
“Now he gets criticized for calling people things – like Lennox Lewis, who has criticized him and given him sly digs his whole career.
“Josh can’t win, so he’s decided, ‘Do you know what? Maybe it’s a new approach, bring back the nasty Josh’. We hope that nasty Josh comes out for the Ruiz fight.”