The heavyweight division in boxing is in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. There aren’t many big bouts coming up, with last week’s Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley fight being the last big one of 2025. There was hope that Anthony Joshua would feature in at least a tune-up before the end of the year, but Eddie Hearn has come out to splash cold water on that notion.
Hearn, Joshua’s longtime promoter, recently admitted in an interview that it’s “unlikely” Joshua will fight in 2025. Joshua’s last bout came in September of 2024, in a stunning KO loss to Daniel Dubois. While this year is no longer a realistic option, that appears to be the case because Hearn and Joshua don’t want to wait around for a fight in 2026.
Anthony Joshua is aiming for February 2026 return date
Hearn is adamant that February 2026 will be Joshua’s return date. The opponent is still unconfirmed, but the promoter and boxer want to get back into the ring before too long.
“At the moment, we’re all working towards our February date, which is getting very close to being confirmed… He’s four, five weeks deep into camp now. So, he’s on me to fight. Previously, he hadn’t been training in camp with intensity. He wasn’t really looking to fight, other than February. But now he’s almost ready to go.“
Could Anthony Joshua actually fight Jake Paul?
While an opponent is unknown, Hearn has constantly talked a big game about Joshua taking part in a “mega-fight” at some point in 2026. It may be too short notice for February, as that one could simply be a tune-up. But if a major fight does come to fruition, Jake Paul’s name has come up as a real possibility.
Hearn himself has been on record as saying that AJ vs. Paul “could be the biggest fight in boxing right now“. Paul had previously called out both Joshua and Gervonta Davis following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul will fight “Tank” in November. Could Joshua possibly be next?
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