The future of Anthony Joshua may be about to become much clearer, off the back of Jake Paul’s shock return to the ring at the end of the year.
Jake Paul, who has been in the sweepstakes to land a lucrative fight with Anthony Joshua, has instead pivoted — booking an exhibition fight with Gervonta Davis in November.
And with Joshua now left opponent-less for the time being, the Watford native’s future remains firmly up in the air.
However, the Olympian may have an option on the table, according to a heralded boxing promoter.
Eddie Hearn provides update on Anthony Joshua’s return
Tasked with thrashing out the future of former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua, Matchroom Boxing lead Eddie Hearn has provided a quite positive update on the veteran’s return to the ring.
Surprised to see Paul actually follow through and book a fight with WBA lightweight champion Davis, Hearn claimed Joshua’s return won’t be delayed by Paul’s pivot.
“I do not know how it affects us in terms of we would do the fight. The issue is, we are not going to wait until November. I won’t speak on his (Joshua’s) behalf like that,” Hearn told Fight Hype.
“But I doubt we commit to the fight until the Tank fight is over. We are not going to wait until November to make our move.
“So it is very likely that AJ will fight in January, February, now probably against someone else,” Hearn explained.
And a switch in position, Joshua, may lead to the booking of an overdue fight.
Anthony Joshua backed to fight Deontay Wilder in grudge match
Forever linked with a showdown against former undisputed WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder during his time as titleholder, Joshua failed to ever share the ring with the Tuscaloosa knockout ace.
If fans get their wish, that would be Joshua’s next fight, too, with many clamoring for the Watford star to fight Wilder in his immediate return to the ring.
But all is not lost, it seems, with Hearn also exploring some ideal blockbuster fights for 2026.
Namely, the Dagenham native wants to finally put together an overdue rivalry between former champions Joshua and his compatriot Tyson Fury.