Eddie Hearn reveals Anthony Joshua timeline for comeback after ‘injury setback’
Eddie Hearn has said Anthony Joshua is unable to start a proper training camp for his next fight, as the former heavyweight champion recently suffered an “injury setback”.
Joshua last fought in September, suffering a knockout loss to IBF champion Daniel Dubois, and talk quickly turned to “AJ”’s next bout. A rematch with Dubois was discussed, as was the prospect of a long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury.
However, Fury went on to retire in January after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in December, while Dubois was paired with Joseph Parker. Dubois withdrew from his fight with Parker due to illness, and the chance of that bout being rescheduled looks low, given Usyk has now been ordered to face Parker – who knocked out Martin Bakole in Dubois’s absence.
That could mean Dubois, 27, is available for a rematch with Joshua, 35, but not before August, per Hearn.
“Not a lot [to report],” Joshua’s promoter told iFL TV on Wednesday (19 March). “Look, he resumed training, and to cut a long story short, without going into too much detail about any injury: he’s not really ready to start camp.
“He needs another eight weeks or so on his injury. He had a little bit of a setback, and he won’t be punching for about that period of time. Probably [eight weeks], yeah.
“So, really, you’re looking at kind of the end of May for camp, so you’re looking at the back end of summer to fight again. August, September.
“When I say we’re not in any tearing rush, I mean: we’d like to know what the next move is, but until he’s physically ready, we’re not in any tearing rush.
“I mean, there’s only really two fights that he’s locked in for, and that’s Dubois and [Tyson] Fury. And at the moment obviously, the Fury fight doesn’t look like it’s a goer, but we can’t really start planning too much until we know he’s fully ready to resume training.
“It was a minor setback, but he’s got to be physically right. Like I said, it’s an injury he’s had for a while, and he’s resumed training – just not ready to start camp in full until it’s 100 per cent, which it’s not.”
Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren recently suggested that “Dynamite” will return to the ring in July, but Hearn said the update was not linked to Joshua’s comeback timeline.
“We’ve not had any conversations with Frank about that fight really, in any depth,” Hearn said. “If he’s been in discussions for a fight, and he’s got a fight planned [in July], it’s not with us.
“There’s loads of options. [Agit] Kabayel, [Deontay] Wilder, Parker, but I’m just being honest: the two fights [Joshua] really wants are Dubois and Fury. I’m not saying, ‘If we don’t get those fights, he won’t fight again,’ but at the moment, we’re just waiting for him to be able to resume a full training camp and punch properly.”
Topics
-
‘No big difference between us and Arsenal!’ Enzo Maresca after Chelsea suffer London derby setback
Enzo Maresca believes there is ‘no big difference’ between Chelsea and Arsenal despite the Blues suffering a setback to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League at Emirates Stadium.Makes...Yahoo Sports - 4d -
Rival watch: Real Madrid handed potential boost as Arsenal star suffers worrying injury setback
Real Madrid may have received an unexpected advantage ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Arsenal, as Gunners defender Riccardo Calafiori suffered a concerning knee injury ...Yahoo Sports - 3h -
Eddie Hearn offers counter after Chris Eubank Jr accepts £1m bet to ‘trick public’
Hearn promotes Conor Benn, whom Eubank Jr will fight on 26 AprilYahoo Sports - 1d -
Dubois in talks over Usyk title fight
Daniel Dubois begins talks with rival heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk over a rematch.BBC News - Mar. 12 -
Providence basketball's Bryce Hopkins to enter transfer portal. Are his Friar days over?
Hopkins played in just three games with the Friars last season after suffering an injury setback in his left kneeYahoo Sports - 1d -
Attacker Ruled Out of England Squad After Training Setback
Cole Palmer Injury Blow as England Call-Up Looks UnlikelyChelsea forward Cole Palmer is expected to miss England’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers after suffering a muscular injury in training. ...Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Monaco’s Caio Henrique reveals he is still yet to return to 100% following ACL injury
It has been almost a whole year since Caio Henrique (27) returned from an ACL injury, suffered at the start of last season, however, despite the passing of time, the Brazilian has revealed that he ...Yahoo Sports - 6d -
'Boxing's not broken' - Hearn responds to White's new league
Eddie Hearn is unsure what Dana White and TKO's new boxing league will look like, but says "boxing is not broken".BBC News - Mar. 11 -
Mauricio Pochettino and U.S. suffer big setback in Nations League loss to Panama
Mauricio Pochettino's first major test as U.S. men's soccer coach ends in disaster when Panama scores in stoppage time in a 1-0 win in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinals.Yahoo Sports - 9h
More from Yahoo Sports
-
‘Gobsmacked’ Lewis Hamilton takes brilliant Chinese GP sprint pole
Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his disappointing debut for Ferrari last weekend by taking a brilliant pole for Saturday’s sprint race in China.Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Why did new Commanders receiver retire and then decide to return?
New Washington Commanders WR Michael Gallup retired last summer. He explained why he chose to retire and why he's returned.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Women's NCAA Tournament 2025: Scores, schedule, times, watch all women's games
The 2025 women's March Madness is in full swing. Here is the full schedule and how to watch.Yahoo Sports - 23m -
Wolves Q&A: What would life after Cunha look like?
Over the course of Friday, we have been putting your questions to BBC Radio WM's Mike Taylor. In this part, we look at the future of Wolves' talisman Matheus Cunha. David asked: Wolves have set a ...Yahoo Sports - 25m -
These 7 Women's March Madness games are can't-miss in NCAA Tournament first round
The NCAA women's Tournament bracket is sprinkled with strong first-round matchups. But these seven games are can't-miss.Yahoo Sports - 26m
More in Sports
-
‘Gobsmacked’ Lewis Hamilton takes brilliant Chinese GP sprint pole
Lewis Hamilton bounced back from his disappointing debut for Ferrari last weekend by taking a brilliant pole for Saturday’s sprint race in China.Yahoo Sports - 17m -
Why did new Commanders receiver retire and then decide to return?
New Washington Commanders WR Michael Gallup retired last summer. He explained why he chose to retire and why he's returned.Yahoo Sports - 20m -
Women's NCAA Tournament 2025: Scores, schedule, times, watch all women's games
The 2025 women's March Madness is in full swing. Here is the full schedule and how to watch.Yahoo Sports - 23m -
Wolves Q&A: What would life after Cunha look like?
Over the course of Friday, we have been putting your questions to BBC Radio WM's Mike Taylor. In this part, we look at the future of Wolves' talisman Matheus Cunha. David asked: Wolves have set a ...Yahoo Sports - 25m -
These 7 Women's March Madness games are can't-miss in NCAA Tournament first round
The NCAA women's Tournament bracket is sprinkled with strong first-round matchups. But these seven games are can't-miss.Yahoo Sports - 26m