It has been over a year since Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) stepped into the professional ring, following a loss against Daniel Dubois. While many have pondered if Joshua was planning to hang up his gloves for good, Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn was quick to remind that the former champ still had a few fights left in him. And it just might be at a location that he has long eyed.
Speaking to ESPN, Hearn said he was initially unsure whether Joshua would be battle-ready by the end of 2025.
“I thought initially no to AJ fighting this year, but now possibly,” he said. “I went to Dubai to see him, and he is really back and locked in, zoned in. Getting over the defeat took him a good few months, then he had the injury, then he went back to camp, then he rested, but then it went again, and he needed an operation, so that was another three months or so.”
Hearn mentioned that it has been a particularly challenging period for Joshua. In fact, he was almost certain that Joshua was only looking for a quick money grab before finally calling it quits. Hearn further admitted that his assumptions were wrong, as Joshua’s main motivation is to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.
Meanwhile, Hearn revealed that the team has been getting offers from Africa in line with Joshua’s wish to have a showdown in the continent before retiring.
“We have had an approach from Ghana, and now Nigeria. I think AJ fighting in Africa would be incredible. If he fights again in February or March, he will have been out of the ring for 18 months. It’s a huge amount of time to come back versus a top ten heavyweight, but also it’s Anthony Joshua, and you have got these big site deals, so you can’t just fight some random geezer who is ranked 100th in the world over eight rounds. If he wasn’t Anthony Joshua, you might actually do that, but it’s very difficult to do that in his position,” said Hearn.
“He Can’t Wait To Knock Him Spark Out”
On the other hand, it looks like Joshua happens to have an opponent in mind for his next big showdown. And the champ eyeing a showdown with longtime nemesis, Tyson Fury, is a situation that Hearn only knows too well.
“I’ve never heard him speak about anyone like he speaks about Tyson Fury, not just wanting to fight him, but saying he can’t wait to knock him spark out,” Hearn said. “I’ve never heard him talk like that before. He really wants to fight him and really wants to beat him. But he is also looking at the division and how it is going to fragment a little bit with the belts, and also he’s looking at getting active.”
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