Hearn: Joshua Plans On Fighting Fury And Dubois

December 30, 2024
1 month
Hearn: Joshua Plans On Fighting Fury And Dubois

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua plans to return to the ring in May or June for two big fights.

Joshua suffered a fifth-round stoppage loss against Daniel Dubois in his last fight. He was dropped three times, which was arguably one of the worst performances of his career. The defeat meant he missed out on becoming a three-time world champion as Dubois defended his IBF Heavyweight Belt. The setback also meant that Joshua missed out on an undisputed title shot against the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury. There were question marks over whether Joshua would retire from the sport. He has already amassed generational wealth, enabling him to secure his financial future. There is also no need for him to take more punishment, given that he currently has enough money to walk away.

But Joshua did say in his post-fight comments that he plans on continuing. There were negotiations over the Dubois rematch. But talks did not result in a fight, as Dubois will now defend his belt against Joseph Parker on February 22. That leaves Joshua with a decision to make. Hearn has said AJ will wait for the Dubois rematch while also keeping an eye on the Fury fight. Fury suffered the second loss to Usyk, meaning that Joshua is the only big name out there for him that British fans want to see. Those fights will secure Joshua big paydays and could mark his eventual exit from the sport, depending on the outcome of those results.

Hearn Reacts

“We’re not in a terrible rush. AJ will fight twice in 2025. Once in the summer and once in the winter. If we can’t make the Dubois fight and if Fury don’t want to fight, then you have to make the decision to fight somebody, or do you wait for those fights? I can’t speak on behalf of AJ, for who he’s prepared to fight, but what I know is the focus is Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury. Of course, he’s [Joshua] done it all. If he gets Fury on his resume, he’s boxed virtually everybody of his era,” Hearn said

Nevertheless, Joshua has to consider the reasons for his fighting. Outside of the monetary compensation, Joshua has to ask whether he believes he can actually win those bouts. AJ has never looked the same since his defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. He has also been through several trainers since then, including Derrick James, Robert Garcia, and his current trainer, Ben Davidson. While the collaboration with Davidson showed promise, it all fell apart in the Dubois fight.

Davidson was criticized for telling Joshua to press the action after he had been dropped several times. That ultimately meant Joshua missed with the right hand, allowing Dubois to counter with the left, which ended the fight. But Joshua has looked more settled with Davidson, showing that he is enjoying his boxing a lot more. It is a fine balance between staying in the sport for too long and leaving at the right time. That is something Joshua will have to consider moving forward.

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