Eddie Hearn provided a new timeline for the expected return of Anthony Joshua. One of “Matchroom: Greatest Showmen” said the British former two-time heavyweight champion would now likely fight at the beginning of next year.
Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) was last in action almost a year ago at Wembley Stadium in London, suffering a fifth-round knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois. The 35-year-old was then expected to face Jake Paul in a bout that didn’t materialize, with Paul now scheduled to face WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis (30-0-1, 28 KOs) of Baltimore, MD.
“As time ticks by, it’s probably more likely that we see [Anthony Joshua] in the ring again for a January [or] February date, if I’m honest,” Hearn said on Matchroom’s Flash Knockdown podcast. “I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December.”
“He’s been traveling about a bit, but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. But these big fights take time, and every AJ event is a massive event.”
“It was well-publicised about the meetings that took place in Ghana over the last couple of weeks. There has been an offer to do a fight there, and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa.”
“However, when you’re doing site deals, a lot of it depends on when the host wants to stage the show. So, if Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January [or] February, then that’s the offer.”
Eddie Hearn also said that in an “ideal world,” Anthony Joshua would face Tyson Fury in an all-British clash.
“I don’t think there’s a rush, albeit he has been out of the ring for almost a year now. Any fight he has next, though, is likely to be a warm–up fight for that ‘roll the dice’ fight. We hope, in an ideal world, that is Tyson Fury. If not, it will be against one of the top five heavyweights.”
Fury, the 37-year-old former WBC heavyweight champion, hasn’t fought since late 2024, when he lost his second fight against two-time and current undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) of Ukraine. In January, Fury announced his retirement.