EDDIE HEARN OFFICIALLY BLOCKS WHITTAKER VS MORRELL; SUAREZ FIGHT REMAINS FOR APRIL
Ben Whittaker headlines Liverpool on April 18! Eddie Hearn explains why he rejected David Morrell for Braian Suarez.
Eddie Hearn isn’t having any of this talk about Ben Whittaker fighting David Morrell, at least not yet. As he sees it, Whittaker’s just not ready for that kind of step up, and that’s fine. Hearn made it clear he wants Whittaker to keep moving forward, but to do it the right way, matching him carefully as he builds experience.
He didn’t sugarcoat it, either. Hearn put Morrell right up there with the top guys at light heavyweight. In his eyes, Whittaker isn’t in that league yet. The British fighter’s got an Olympic silver medal, sure, and he’s undefeated so far, but he hasn’t even fought a full 12-rounder yet. That’s a sign for Hearn and his team that he’s not ready to jump in with elite opponents.
“We’re not fighting at that level yet,” Hearn said. He figures Whittaker probably needs three or four more fights before taking on someone like Morrell.
Next up, Whittaker headlines in Liverpool on April 18, facing Argentina’s Braian Nahuel Suarez in a 10-rounder. He only got bumped up to the main event because Callum Smith pulled out with an injury. Smith was supposed to take on Morrell that night. With Smith out, Morrell went straight to social media to call Whittaker out: “Ben Whittaker, I’m ready to fight April 18th. How are you older than me and still a prospect? Let’s give the fans the fight they want to see!”
But Hearn isn’t budging. Whittaker’s got Suarez locked in after a short training camp, and they’re not swapping him out for someone as dangerous as Morrell at the last minute.
If Whittaker wins in Liverpool, he’s already got a return date pencilled in June 27, against an American opponent still to be named. If he comes through that, Hearn says they’ll look at a step up with British contenders like Anthony Yarde or Lyndon Arthur before a shot at a world title comes into the picture.
Fans haven’t been thrilled, honestly. A lot of them are frustrated with the slow pace and level of Whittaker’s opponents so far. He turns 29 on June 6, and people are starting to wonder when he’s actually going to take on the big names.
For now, though, Hearn’s message is pretty simple: no shortcuts. Morrell, meanwhile, is still waiting for a new fight date after the Smith pullout, itching to get back in the ring after his own training camp.
TYSON FURY TARGETS ANTHONY JOSHUA IMMEDIATELY AFTER SATURDAY'S CLASH WITH MAKHMUDOV
Is Anthony Joshua vs Wilder happening? Eddie Hearn reveals AJ’s recovery plan and the path to a Tyson Fury mega-fight.
Tyson Fury really wants Anthony Joshua as his next opponent, but he’s looking for a tune-up fight first. This weekend, Fury finally steps back into the ring in London, facing Arslanbek Makhmudov. He’s hoping to shake off any ring rust and set up some massive fights for later in the year. Joshua sits right at the top of that list.
Everyone thought Fury and Joshua would meet this summer, but things changed after Joshua’s car accident last December. Joshua now seems focused on getting a warm-up fight himself before diving into anything big with Fury.
Still, Fury is eager to go straight into a Joshua showdown. Speaking about it, Fury said, “I've got Arslanbek Makhmudov to think of on Saturday night, but if all goes well, Joshua is the fight I want next. I know he just had his fight with Jake Paul, whatever, a fight’s a fight. Yeah, I’ll be ready for that straight away after this.”
Fury hasn’t picked a date for his next fight yet, but he’s aiming for three bouts this year. He might want to fit in another match before going toe-to-toe with Joshua, so their schedules might not line up perfectly.
On Joshua’s side, he’s back in training with Oleksandr Usyk and planning a summer return. He was even at ringside to watch Deontay Wilder beat Derek Chisora. After the fight, Wilder called Joshua out, leading to an awkward face-off.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, thinks Wilder could work as the ideal tune-up before facing Fury at the end of the year. Hearn said, “This is what I want. We need a warm-up fight before Tyson Fury, because AJ’s recovering from his accident. We’ll take Deontay Wilder as that warm-up and then fight Tyson Fury in December. And I’ve got to give credit to Wilder—he looked sharper against Chisora than he has in a while.”
TYSON FURY CONFESSES "HEARTBREAKING" DOUBTS AHEAD OF MAKHMUDOV CLASH THIS SATURDAY NIGHT
Fury vs Makhmudov preview: Tyson talks Netflix debut, retirement jitters, and his "shoot me" warning to his team.
Tyson Fury’s got some doubts kicking in as his big comeback draws near. After losing twice to Usyk in 2024, Fury decided he’d had enough and hung up his gloves. He stayed out of the ring for a whole year, then, in a move probably nobody expected, announced he was coming back on January 4.
He’s set to fight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Saturday, with Netflix streaming the bout live. But, honestly, Fury’s feeling the jitters. Watching Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora go at it the other night didn’t help, either. Their wild brawl at the O2 ended with Wilder grabbing a split decision, but the fight looked pretty rough, almost sad. Fury admitted he was shaken up seeing two veteran fighters struggle; it made him wonder if he could be heading down the same path.
He’s coming out of retirement to take on Russian heavyweight Makhmudov in London on April 11. Fans can catch the action live on Netflix, which you get free if you grab Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle or their £24 Ultimate TV bundle (that one also throws in HBO Max and Disney+).
Talking to The Sun, Fury said, “After watching Deontay and Chisora the other night, it was hard to watch for me. It was sad. Heartbreaking. I’d never seen two men slide as much in my life as those two. I’m thinking, ‘Am I f***ing next? Is this me?”
In another interview, this time with Ring Magazine, Fury confessed he’s told his team what to do if things start going south on Saturday night against Makhmudov. “I said to the boys, ‘If I’m even 10 per cent as bad as those guys in my fight, take me out to the field and shoot me. Put me out to pasture.’”
He knows he’s been away a while. “By the time the fight comes around on Saturday, I’ll have been out of the ring 16 months. At 37 years old, 16 months is a long time. I have a little bit of stuff to think about in my own mind and see how I am.”
