EDDIE HEARN is still holding out for the phone call of his career – where Tyson Fury returns to fight Anthony Joshua.
Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September while Fury suffered two points losses on the bounce to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024.
So the pair of beaten British legends looked to dust themselves off and settle their score once and for all.
But that was until Fury decided to announce a shock retirement in January – leaving AJ & Co in the lurch.
The Gypsy King – unlike in the past – has so far appeared content to leave the gloves hung up – but Hearn has not lost hope just yet.
He told SunSport: “In an ideal world, Tyson Fury gets off the sofa and goes, I”m bored. I wanna roll the dice with AJ.'
“And that phone call would be the most beautiful phone call I've had in my career, and it may come, but if it doesn't, we've gotta find an opponent.
“And, he's gotta be 100 per cent physically right because this is arguably the most important decision and moment of his career because it's the final ones.”
Joshua had gone back into the gym gearing up for what could be one of his last fights – until a secret injury set him back.
Hearn revealed: “It's the same injury that he had before, which I'm not gonna go into.
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“It's nothing major, but the problem is with these big guys you're kind of getting through a niggle, and that's really what it is.
“It's not something that requires an operation but he went back into training camp and just can't punch.
“Like he needs to punch and if you watch how these boys throw – it's not like you or me just going out and hitting a few pads – it's like it's heavy duty.
“And he needs about another six weeks from now till he can punch properly.”
With Fury not budging on retirement, Hearn's second port of call would be a rematch with Dubois.
But the IBF champion wants to also rematch Usyk – who beat him in 2023 following a controversial low-blow which the Londoner argued was legal.
It leaves Agit Kabayel and Joseph Parker – who hold the WBC and WBO interim belts respectively – as other options.
And long-time American rival Deontay Wilder – once heavyweight champ himself – as another alternative to fight AJ.
Hearn said: “We're in no tearing rush. The next move is so important for the last chapter, because that's what it is.
“We just gotta get it right and if we can't get Dubois or if we can't get Fury then we've gotta fight someone else.
“And that could be Parker. That could be Kabayel, that could be, I don't know, Wilder, anyone.”
