TOTAL ED ACHE

EDDIE HEARN signed Anthony Joshua to a lifetime deal in 2021 – but it now seems bitter rival Frank Warren has the keys to the star’s career.

The warring British promoters went head to head in a Saudi shootout in June which involved ten fighters, five fights and double points for the winning captain.

Arsenal fan Warren, 72, wiped the floor with his 45-year-old nemesis – who recently donned a Spurs top – winning all five bouts to win 10-0.

And in the build-up to AJ v Daniel Dubois on Saturday, Hearn claimed the Wembley fight was worth 20 points alone.

That all adds up to a 30-0 defeat for red-faced Hearn.

This was a bad night for Joshua and it was a bad night for Hearn, who needs a positive story for his looming Netflix doc-series following his Matchroom stable.

Joshua now needs to cling to hope of a rematch with Dubois, a comeback bout with Joe Joyce or face British champ Fabio Wardley.

Hearn had suggested that Joshua would invoke a rematch clause to take on Dubois again.

However, when asked if such a clause existed, Warren said: “No. I don’t think there is.

“They can have it if they want, I’ve not got a problem with that.”

And Hearn later backtracked on the rematch clause, saying only that Joshua had a fight left on his Riyadh Season contract which could end up being against Dubois.

Another potential opponent waiting in the wings is British sensation Moses Itauma, 19, who fancies facing anyone.

But guess which promoter guides the careers of those men? Yes, it’s Warren.

Most of Hearn’s success has been built on the London 2012 guys – led by AJ – that he snapped up. Hearn and Joshua have been on a magnificent journey. The pair have made millions, broken records and banked titles.

But it is worrying Hearn does not remember that Joshua has always been vulnerable to left hooks and right hands.

In the amateurs, even in big gloves and headguards, he was stunned by Mihai Nistor and dropped by Dillian Whyte.

In the pros, Whyte wobbled him again in 2015 and Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko battered him in 2017 but failed to finish him off.

Tubby Andy Ruiz dropped him four times and another Ukrainian star – Oleksandr Usyk – punched him in the face for 72 minutes.

On Saturday night’s Dubois defeat in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley, Hearn said: “That’s probably the only time in his whole career I’ve seen him really hurt.

“So it is not bad having won two world heavyweight championships and 13 world championship fights.

“And that’s the only time he’s really been hurt. To a point when he couldn’t get up.

“Heavyweights get knocked out all the time. You never want to see a heavyweight get knocked out but that is the first time in his career that he has been properly hurt.”

Hearn claims that as soon as Joshua shows any sign of mental decline, the 34-year-old will be wise enough to save himself.

The Matchroom mogul added: “You never want to carry on too long.

“But at the same time, AJ is a heavyweight who does not actually have that many miles on the clock.

“Fighters sometimes need saving from themselves – but AJ is a smart guy. He has got a big team of people around him.

“We all know we’ve seen the best AJ over the last year. It’s difficult to say that just because he got chinned, that’s it.

“But, of course, he’s in the closing chapters of his career, there’s no doubt about that.”

Hearn’s next chapter is equally as intriguing. He needs a big win against rival Warren – and fast – Sun.