Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua will fight in May or June and start training camp in January. Until then, the former two-time heavyweight champion (28-4, 25 KOs) will need four months off to recover from a fifth-round knockout loss to IBF champion Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21.

Joshua Ice May/June bout

Hearn says Joshua, 35, will fight twice in 2025, which he hopes will be against Tyson Fury for two bouts. If not, a rematch with Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs). AJ still wants to avenge his loss, but if he doesn't retire there's a first agenda.

Understandably, Hearn is pushing hard to hurry up and make the Joshua vs. Fury fight as both fighters age and can no longer be counted on to lose in level competition. If Hearn had waited, both guys would have been beaten by younger or even older heavyweights.

While they both could still beat many of the top 15, there are a handful of heavyweights in the division who have a great chance of beating them.

Hearn says Joshua-Fury and Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn are the two biggest fights in British boxing. He may be right. Fans want to see both of those contests, even if the rest of the world doesn't.

“In May or June. He is not yet in full training. He is probably ready to resume training in January,” said Eddie Hearn to IFL TV About when Anthony Joshua will fight next. “At this point, you've got the Dubois fight on Feb. 22 (against Joseph Parker), and you'll see what Fury wants to do.

“We're not in a terrible hurry. AJ will fight twice in 2025. Once in summer and once in winter. If we can't fight Dubois and if Fury doesn't want to fight, then you have to decide who to fight, or do you wait for that fight?

“I can't speak for AJ, who he's ready to fight, but what I do know is Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury. Of course, he (Joshua) did it all. If he gets Fury on his resume, he's boxed virtually everyone of his era.

AJ vs Fury in 2025?

Fury has yet to say if he will fight Joshua. He was upset after losing a 12-round unanimous decision to unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on December 21 in Riyadh. He believed he had won the fight in three rounds and appeared bitter in the post-fight press conference, complaining of his second loss to Usyk.

As upset as Fury is, the money he can get for a fight against Joshua will lure him back into the ring. AJ won't be grieving for long if Turki Al-Sheikh is shelling out $100 million for the clash.

“It (Fury) is a tough fight, it's a 50-50 fight, but run it twice and see where we are at the end of it. Two of the biggest fights in British boxing, Eubank-Ben and Fury-AJ, are a mile away. Nothing even comes close,” Hearn said.