‘What a f***ing joke’ – Eddie Hearn hits back at ‘disgusting’ claims about Anthony Joshua’s career

EDDIE HEARN fumed at Anthony Joshua being urged to retire.

American author Thomas Hauser – who penned several acclaimed books on Muhammad Ali – wrote a Guardian column directed at AJ.

Anthony Joshua with promoter Eddie HearnRex

It was headlined “The bravest thing Anthony Joshua can do is retire from boxing.”

And Hauser pleaded with the two-time heavyweight world champion to walk away with his health intact and fortune secured aged 33.

But the piece has disgusted Joshua’s promoter Hearn, who hit out at the article and any suggestion of AJ retiring.

He told Boxing Social: “What a f***ing joke. I’m just gonna say it, Thomas Hauser needs to retire, he’s so far detached from reality.

“He doesn’t know Anthony Joshua – he’s hardly even had a conversation with him.

“Has he ever watched him in the gym or sat down and spoken to him?

“I just find it absolutely bizarre that you can lose a split decision to Oleksandr Usyk, come back and win nearly every round against Jermaine Franklin and then it’s “you have to retire now”.

“What the f*** are these people talking about? Thomas Hauser is a disgrace for writing that. Honestly I found that article disgusting.”

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Joshua beat Franklin, 29, on points in his April return following consecutive losses to Usyk, 36.

And super-fights against Deontay Wilder, 37, and Tyson Fury, 34, now lie in wait after AJ got back to winnings ways.

But before his confidence-building comeback bout, Joshua did hint retirement is round the corner as he eyes another title before bailing out.

He said: “This run is like, what can it go on for? Three, four years?

“If I was going to do another run after this, you’re talking about fighting into my forties and I truly believe that boxing’s a young man’s sport.

“It takes a real solid character like Bernard Hopkins, Foreman, Klitschko, Povetkin to go on into their forties and stuff, but I think this is a run I want to make successful and then, you know, hopefully go out on top.”

Anthony Joshua beat Jermaine Franklin in his return fightRichard Pelham / The Sun