Anthony Joshua comeback fight date ‘leaked’ as Eddie Hearn spills the beans | Boxing | Sport
Eddie Hearn has hinted at a potential boxing event in Africa this December, suggesting that Anthony Joshua might make a comeback before Christmas. Joshua, a two-time heavyweight world champion, hasn’t stepped into the ring since September 2024 when he was devastatingly knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. The British boxer has been largely out of action throughout 2025, but is now back in training following elbow surgery.
Hearn recently disclosed that there are ten contenders being considered for Joshua’s return fight, which could potentially be held in Africa. The subsequent plan is to pursue a long-awaited meeting with Tyson Fury next year. The ‘Gypsy King’ retired from boxing earlier this year after consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk, but has dropped hints about a possible return next year.
In a recent interview on Sportico and The Boxing Mob, Hearn unveiled Matchroom’s itinerary for the remainder of 2025, which includes visits to Australia, Monaco, Birmingham, Los Angeles, and a weekend in Africa just before Christmas.
This revelation comes shortly after the boxing promoter had talks with Joshua regarding his future. He suggested that ‘AJ’ might step into the ring this year, rather than the previously targeted 2026 comeback.
“I had a chat with AJ earlier in the week and it’s kind of time to make some decisions really,” he told iFL TV.
“So I flew to Dubai where he was training and had a very pleasant couple of days there. We had some really really good meetings with AJ, they were pretty positive and went there and watched him train.
“He’s training pretty much to full capacity… his elbow that’s now fully healed and he wants to know what the plan is. He wants to get moving. We’ve just got to get it right now.
“This is kind of like one big last roll of the dice. It could be 18 months, it could be two years, I don’t know. But he wants to get active and that’s a really good thing.
“So, you may see him sooner rather than later. That’s all I’ll say. But there are lots of options on the table, lots of cities to fight in, and he just he’s just excited to fight again.”
The African boxing scene has gained significant momentum recently – with major shows being staged in Ghana and Nigeria, where Joshua’s parents were born.
Promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu – who collaborated with boxing legend Amir Khan on a show in Nigeria – is keen to bring Joshua over to compete in Africa.
“Adamu disclosed that discussions are underway with Joshua’s team regarding a possible bout in Nigeria, saying: “We’ve had a preliminary conversation and we’ll keep going. We’re looking at Q1 next year.
“We all know AJ’s always said he wants to fight in Africa before the end of his career and we believe Nigeria is actually the best story. Nigeria has the highest population in the whole of Africa, about 250 million people.
“Nigeria is the economic capital of the whole of Africa. The list goes on and on. We believe that we are actually poised to make that happen.”
