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Eddie Hearn reveals Anthony Joshua return date – and it’s sooner than expected
Eddie Hearn is planning for Anthony Joshua to make his return to boxing in July following the death of his two close friends at the end of 2025.
Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in devastating fashion in December and was set for a huge 2026 until tragedy struck four days after Christmas.
The two-time heavyweight champion was on holiday in Nigeria when he was involved in a fatal car crash that claimed the lives of two of his closest friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele who were also long-time members of his team.
Joshua miraculously escaped with only minor injuries having swapped seats with Aoydele shortly before their SUV crashed into the back of a stationary truck.
Joshua has not publicly discussed a return to boxing since the accident but has been seen back in training in the Middle East where he now resides.
Hearn, who has promoted Joshua since he turned professional after the 2012 Olympics, has been careful not to put any timeline on the heavyweight’s return during his physical and mental recovery.
But a firmer plan now appears to be in place.
‘Originally the plan with ‘AJ’ was for him to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury in August,’ Hearn told BoxingScene.
‘That’s not happening. He’s not fighting Tyson Fury next. He’s going to come back, I believe, in late summer, but physically he’s not yet in a position to return to camp.
‘So, I’m planning, but he’s just resting and preparing. So, for me, I’m looking at options to get him back in the ring in July time, but we’ll only know if that’s a real possibility when he returns to camp, which will hopefully be in the next couple of weeks or a month.’
Who will Anthony Joshua fight when he returns to boxing?
Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury is a fight that has fallen by the wayside countless times over the last six years but there was renewed hope it would take place in 2026 last year.
Joshua’s accident derailed those plans with Hearn confirming Joshua will not mark his return against ‘The Gypsy King’ – who will fight Russian giant Arslanbek Makhmudov in April.
‘I think every fight’s dangerous coming off what he’s come off, but, yeah, I think we’re open to the Tyson Fury fight, but probably that’s more likely end of the year – maybe early 2027,’ Hearn said.
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