Anthony Joshua Could Fight Before Year’s End – Eddie Hearn Says

Former two-time world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua may step back into the ring before the end of the year, with promoter Eddie Hearn rating the chances of a return at “50-50.”

Anthony Joshua has not fought since his devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September 2024. That defeat, followed by more than a year of inactivity, recently saw him dropped from The Ring magazine’s heavyweight rankings.

Hearn told The Ring that the 36-year-old could feature on Matchroom’s December 13 show in Stockton, California, or possibly on the December 27 “Night of the Samurai” card headlined by Naoya Inoue.

“I think it’s probably 50-50 that he will fight again this year,” Hearn said. “Sometimes I mention these things and it goes crazy, but when you think about it, it makes a lot of sense from a boxing point of view. Not so much a money or commercial point of view.

“But every time Joshua fights it’s a massive occasion, out in a big stadium somewhere, and he’s like, ‘ok, here I go again.’ But if he goes on an undercard somewhere, it gives him a chance to get in the flow again, and it would be very beneficial to his career.”

According to Hearn, Joshua has remained in the gym and could be ready to fight on just two weeks’ notice. “He originally asked me if he could just go and box on one of our Mexico shows or something. I said, ‘Mate, I can’t really hide you walking around Tijuana.’ But we’ve got December 13 in California, maybe there’s a show in November,” he noted.

The promoter believes a low-profile return would help Joshua rebuild confidence before targeting major fights in 2026.

Joshua’s team had previously explored a potential clash with Jake Paul, but after the American agreed to face Gervonta Davis instead, the British star’s 2025 campaign appeared in doubt.

The London-born Nigerian fighter, who boasts a 28-4 record with 25 knockouts, has not boxed in a fight scheduled for fewer than 12 rounds in over a decade. Aside from his December 2023 stoppage win over Otto Wallin, every fight during that stretch has headlined a major event.

There remains optimism that Tyson Fury could come out of retirement to finally face Joshua next year, while the Olympic gold medallist has also been linked to a possible bout in Ghana in February.