ANTHONY JOSHUA’S promoter Eddie Hearn says the former world heavyweight champion will return to the ring before the year ends, though one potential opponent is all but ruled out. Joshua’s last outing proved catastrophic at Wembley Stadium, where IBF champion Daniel Dubois demolished the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, dashing his dreams of joining Lennox Lewis as a three-time champion.
Having undergone elbow surgery last month, Hearn shared on the Ariel X Ade show that the 35-year-old is poised to resume training. “Anthony Joshua will return,” Hearn affirmed. “I had a lengthy conversation with his team. He’s now back in the groove of starting to think about locking in a date in 2025. So October, November December – that will be AJ’s next fight. We look forward to a big end to the year.”
Despite Tyson Fury’s retirement in January, rumours persist of a long-overdue British super-fight with Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs). For now, Hearn expects Joshua to fight later this year, but one former rival is no longer the likely opponent. “Dillian Whyte was probably the front-runner, to be honest,” Hearn explained. “Looks like he’s going to fight Moses [Itauma] so that was a curveball.
“Jared Anderson’s been mentioned. Obviously, Deontay Wilder’s back soon. I think AJ would have been out of the ring just over a year by the time he steps back into the ring. He will be coming off surgery. I don’t think Fury is going to be ready to fight around that time anyway but I expect it to be someone that will gear him up for a really big fight in 2026.”
Joshua’s defeat to Dubois prompted some to speculate his career might be nearing its end. Hearn acknowledged that retirement could be on the horizon for Matchroom’s biggest star, outlining a potential roadmap. “Probably 2026 will be his last year in the sport,” Hearn said. “It’s probably three fights away. If I’m advising AJ, we’re back this year [and] we have two Tyson Fury fights. What else is there to do? Maybe fight Daniel Dubois? For me once AJ fights Tyson Fury he’s kind of done it all.
“I’d love him to have another crack at Dubois and I’d love him to have another crack at Usyk but you just go on and on and on. Now if we get to next year and he’s still firing on all cylinders then 2026 won’t be his last year, but for me something feels right about coming back this year [then] beating Tyson Fury twice and sailing off into the sunset.”
