Hearn Talks Joshua’s Return and Mega-Fight With Fury

Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom Boxing and promoter of former Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua, spoke about the timeline for his fighter’s return to the ring and shared his thoughts on a potential showdown with fellow Briton Tyson Fury.

“Right now, the only thing I’m thinking about in the ideal scenario is a fight with Tyson Fury next year. That’s the main goal.

From a common-sense perspective, this fight should happen in 2026, but common sense and Fury’s decisions don’t always align. He has to want to come back. That’s a personal decision.

We need to be very careful in choosing the opponent (for Joshua’s next fight). I think it’s fairest to say the next bout will be a comeback fight to set the stage for a big risk in the summer. We want it to be Fury. If not, it’ll still be a huge fight.

We need someone from the top 15. It won’t be Fury, Usyk, Dubois, or anyone like that. We need a fighter so AJ can return in a competitive bout after more than a year out and prepare for one last big chance. A loss at this stage of his career would destroy all plans. So we need to get it exactly right,” said Hearn.

Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) last fought in September 2024, when he was knocked out in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois. In May, the Brit underwent elbow surgery. His return was initially expected in October, but the timeline has been repeatedly pushed back.

Tyson Fury (34-2-1, 24 KOs) lost twice in 2024 — in May and December — to undisputed Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, after which he announced his retirement. However, Fury has since repeatedly hinted at a comeback, including for a trilogy with Usyk in April 2026 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Фото: talkSPORT