Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has confirmed that the previous two-time heavyweight champion is about to make his extremely anticipated return to the ring in 2025.
The announcement comes within the wake of Joshua’s devastating loss to Daniel Dubois, a battle that derailed his bid to reclaim his place as a dominant drive within the boxing world.
Joshua, who turned 35 on October 15, is at a crossroads in his illustrious profession. Whereas some speculated the defeat may sign the top of his journey in skilled boxing, Hearn dismissed any discuss of retirement, reaffirming that the British-Nigerian stays dedicated to persevering with his profession.
“Anthony loves boxing; he’d battle ceaselessly if he may,” Hearn mentioned.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist entered 2023 with renewed vigour, securing 4 straight wins and searching poised to problem for heavyweight supremacy as soon as extra. Nevertheless, his encounter with Dubois in March 2024 proved a stumbling block. A brutal loss—following a first-round knockout victory over Francis Ngannou—reset the trajectory of his comeback.
Talking on the loss, Hearn acknowledged the necessity for Joshua to regroup each mentally and bodily. “After preventing 4 occasions in lower than a yr, Anthony must recharge. He’ll resume camp in January 2025, which units him up completely for an April or Could return to motion,” he defined.
Hearn made it clear that Joshua’s return wouldn’t embody tune-up fights.
“At this stage in his profession, Anthony doesn’t want warm-ups,” Hearn mentioned.
“He’s going straight in. There’s no attraction in smaller fights; it’s about making the massive ones occur.”
This method contrasts with Joshua’s earlier rebuilding section, following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. Then, he fought Jermaine Franklin and different lower-ranked opponents to regain confidence. Now, with time not on his facet, Hearn believes Joshua’s focus should shift solely to marquee matchups.
Regardless of current setbacks, Joshua stays one in all boxing’s greatest attracts, each within the UK and globally. His skill to pack arenas and generate pay-per-view curiosity ensures he’ll proceed to be a key participant within the heavyweight division.
The subsequent steps for Joshua largely hinge on the provision of Tyson Fury and Dubois. Fury’s bout with Usyk and Dubois’ February title defence will decide how quickly negotiations can start for both battle.