Joshua in final year — Hearn
Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua is entering the final year of his illustrious boxing career, with plans to potentially engage in one to three more fights before retiring from professional heavyweight boxing.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sports, Hearn revealed that Joshua is carefully planning the concluding chapter of his career, with potential high-profile matchups against Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury, or Joseph Parker under consideration.
“This is the final year. Let’s not beat around the bush,” Hearn stated. “He’s going to have somewhere between – it could always be your last fight – but one and three fights, that’s the reality of the situation.”
The two-time world heavyweight champion is currently recovering from a minor injury sustained after his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September.
Hearn disclosed that Joshua is not yet ready to return to full-intensity training, noting, “He had a niggle after the Dubois fight, he went back into camp, and he’s just not ready to start punching yet with the same ferocity that he needs to.”
Among the potential matchups, a rematch with Joseph Parker appears particularly intriguing. The two previously fought in 2018, with the British-Nigerian securing a unanimous decision victory in Cardiff. Now, Parker is riding high after impressive victories over Martin Bakole, Zhilei Zhang, and Deontay Wilder, and is currently the WBO mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk.
Parker’s promoter, David Higgins, seems open to a rematch, telling Sky Sports, “I think the whole world would like to see him rematch with AJ. On current form, I think Joseph Parker puts AJ to sleep.”
Hearn highlighted two dream fights for Joshua – a rematch with Dubois or a blockbuster bout with Tyson Fury.
However, Fury’s current retirement status complicates the latter prospect. Frank Warren, Fury’s promoter, remains non-committal, stating, “If he wanted to come back, that would be his choice. Me, I wouldn’t even discuss it with him.”
Beyond potential fights, Hearn reflected on Joshua’s broader impact on British boxing. “He’s changed the face of the sport in this country,” Hearn said. “He’s paved the way for stadium fights to become a norm and inspired a new generation of young boxers to walk through the doors of an amateur boxing club.
“He still loves the sport, he still thinks that physically he has a lot to give. This is the final roll of the dice and we’ve got to get it right.”
The heavyweight is expected to return to the ring in the latter part of the summer, with fans and pundits eagerly anticipating which opponents might feature in his farewell tour.
