Anthony Joshua could return sooner than expected after surprise Eddie Hearn update

Anthony Joshua could return to nan ringing sooner than expected, aft nan boxing prima was progressive successful a fatal car clang successful December.

Just days aft Joshua knocked retired Jake Paul, beating nan influencer successful six rounds, he suffered injuries arsenic a rider successful a car mishap successful Nigeria. The clang claimed nan lives of 2 of Joshua’s teammates: Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.

In nan fallout of that accident, Joshua’s fighting early has been up successful nan air, pinch immoderate fans questioning whether nan erstwhile world heavyweight champion would container again.

However, “AJ” was soon backmost to training, and now his promoter has suggested that a competitory return could travel arsenic soon arsenic July.

“Look, primitively nan scheme pinch AJ was for him to conflict successful March, and past conflict Tyson Fury successful August,” Eddie Hearn told Boxing Scene connected Thursday. “That’s not happening, he’s not fighting Tyson Fury next.

“He’s going to travel backmost – I judge – precocious summer, but physically he’s not yet successful a position to return to camp. So, I’m planning, but he’s conscionable resting and preparing.

“So for me, I’m looking astatine options to get him backmost successful nan ringing successful July time, but we’ll only cognize if that’s a existent anticipation erstwhile he returns to camp, which will hopefully beryllium successful nan adjacent mates of weeks aliases a month.”

When asked whether Joshua’s adjacent bout could beryllium somewhat of a warm-up for a tougher test, Matchroom’s Hearn said: “I deliberation each fight’s dangerous, coming disconnected what he’s travel off, but yeah, I think...

“We’re unfastened to nan Tyson Fury fight, but astir apt much apt extremity of nan year, possibly early 2027.”

Joshua, 36, was linked pinch kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven anterior to December’s crash, but Hearn said: “I judge he’s fighting... rumours of him fighting [Oleksandr] Usyk, yeah.”

Usyk, who doubly hit Joshua connected points, is presently nan unified heavyweight champion, while Fabio Wardley holds nan WBO title. Elsewhere successful nan division, Fury will container Arslanbek Makhmudov connected 11 April, arsenic nan Briton emerges from status for nan 5th time.

As Hearn hinted, Joshua and Fury were connected people for a long-awaited showdown this year, but AJ’s mishap has disrupted those plans. It is presently expected that Fury, 37, will target a world-title conflict if he thumps Russia’s Makhmudov.

Fury vs Makhmudov will watercourse unrecorded connected Netflix, for illustration Joshua’s triumph complete Paul, and it will return spot 1 week aft Derek Chisora fights Deontay Wilder. Chisora is simply a friend of Joshua, who has agelong been linked to a imaginable conflict pinch Wilder.