Eddie Hearn slams 'disappointing' Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard

Following the announcement of Jai Opetaia vs Deontay Wilder on the Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua undercard, two more fights have been added to the card at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

A fight 10 years in the making, Fury vs Joshua is widely billed as the biggest British heavyweight encounter of all time, and early suggestions indicated that the undercard bouts would only add to the excitement.

After weeks of speculation, it was confirmed that Opetaia is making the jump to heavyweight to lock horns with Wilder in Cardiff, a fascinating spectacle given the Australian's dominance at cruiserweight and the 'Bronze Bomber's' demise in more recent years.

The two fights that were added to the main card on Wednesday, however, have not quite received the same reaction, with Matchroom's Eddie Hearn amongst the most vocal.

Netflix announced that Martin Bakole vs Solomon Adebayo and Da’Mazion Vanhouter vs Michael Essomba would be joining Fury vs Joshua and Opetaia vs Wilder as part of an all-heavyweight main card in the Welsh capital.

While Bakole is a recognisable name in the heavyweight scene after fights with the likes of Joseph Parker and Jared Anderson, Adebayo, Vanhouter and Essomba are yet to really stake their claim in the division and so many are left disappointed by their inclusion on the card.

Matchroom chairman Hearn, who promotes Joshua, is amongst those dissatisfied with the two additions.

When questioned by iFL TV on his involvement in the undercard, he said: "Thankfully, none at all, judging by the quality of it."

Hearn added: "I've got definitely one, probably two fighters on the undercard, [the] prelims.

"I don't want to upset people, but I feel like I have to be honest with you, because I've always been honest with you.

I think it's really disappointing.

- Eddie Hearn (iFL TV)

"There's no secret that, as Max Kellerman said, Dana White is personally advising Turki Alalshikh, and they just don't know boxing. They don't know the market, they don't know the audience.

"Opetaia-Wilder is a great fight. I think it's a really intriguing fight, if it happens. The other two, on what planet would you ever put those two fights on the main card of Fury vs AJ."

While Hearn declared that he has so far had no say in the undercard fights, he did state that discussions took place for Welshman Joe Cordina to fight in his home country, but revealed Alalshikh opted not to pursue the former two-time world champion.

He said: "We agreed terms for him to fight Manny Pacquiao. Then, we said 'do Abdullah Mason vs Joe Cordina'. Then, we agreed to fight Sam Noakes or Mark Chamberlain. Then, we proposed Mauricio Lara."

It's now unlikely that Cordina features on the Fury vs Joshua undercard, with Hearn instead determined to land him a huge fight in January 2027.

Additional fights are set to be added to the preliminary card, but it remains to be seen as to whether more bouts will be added to the main card -- which currently consists of four heavyweight bouts.