Anthony Joshua ring return being ‘planned for July’

An update has been provided on Anthony Joshua‘s potential return to the ring, courtesy of promoter Eddie Hearn.

Joshua was last in action in December when he defeated YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, and had then been pencilled in to return to action in early 2026.

Those plans changed when Joshua was involved in a car accident which tragically took the lives of his two close friends Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has now told Boxing Scene that the current plan is for AJ to return in July, though nothing will be cemented until the two-time unified world heavyweight champion gets into training camp and sees how he feels.

“Originally, the plan with AJ was for him to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury in August. That’s not happening. He’s not fighting Tyson Fury next. He’s going to come back I believe late summer, but physically he’s not yet in a position to return to camp. 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.”

Hearn then revealed when he feels a Fury fight could realistically happen.

“I think every fight is dangerous coming off what he’s come off. We’re open to the Tyson Fury fight but probably more likely end of the year, maybe early 2027.”

Following the circumstances Joshua went through late last year, seeing him back in the ring in any capacity would certainly be a bonus for boxing fans.