At 35 years of age, Anthony Joshua, the former unified heavyweight champion, could seriously consider stepping back and leaving boxing for good, as he is still recovering from elbow surgery following his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in 2023. Although there has been speculation in recent times about possible fights against the likes of Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury, his physical condition remains an unknown, so his continuity in the boxing world is still uncertain.
On this subject, Eddie Hearn, his promoter, has shed some light on the situation, however the outlook does not look very encouraging. In a recent interview with Boxing Social, when asked about Joshua’s next step, he simply replied: “Honestly, nowhere. He’s not ready to start camp yet, but he’s close“. However, he added that Joshua could be ready to fight in late October, although he suggests that his return will probably happen in November or December.
Who will be Anthony Joshua’s next opponent?
What’s most worrying is that a potential opponent hasn’t even been defined, which shows that the recovery period will still be long: “I have absolutely no idea,” confessed Hearn when asked about the possible opponent.
Although names such as Dillian Whyte and Jared Anderson were previously mentioned, Whyte already has a fight scheduled against young prospect Moses Itauma on August 16, while there has been no recent progress regarding Anderson.
Deontay Wilder is another boxer who has stated that he is eager to face Anthony Joshua, however, this would not be in the near future, even if Joshua were to make a speedy recovery, as Wilder has a fight scheduled for late June against Tyrrell Anthony Herdon.
However, Wilder left the door open to the possibility of facing ‘AJ’:“I’m ready. As long as he’s in the division and I am too, I’ll always be willing to fight,” said Wilder.
When will Anthony Joshua return to the ring?
According to Hearn, Joshua has in mind a possible final stage in his career that would conclude in 2026. Although, for the moment, the aim is for him to fight once in 2025, if he recovers properly by then.
Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua‘s return remains a mystery, both in terms of date and opponent. What is certain is that time continues to move on and his team is clear that given his age it is also necessary to begin to evaluate options in a scenario where every decision could mark the final stretch of his career.
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