Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has revealed that 2026 is likely to be the boxer’s last year in boxing.
Joshua is currently recovering from elbow surgery, and he is expected to return to the ring in September.
He has been touted to fight Tyson Fury but Eddie Hearn is unsure if the fight will hold in 2025, while saying that time is running out for the British-Nigerian boxer.
Hearn said: “Probably 2026 will be his last year in the sport.
“I mean you never know, but thinking about it, it’s probably three fights away. If I’m advising AJ I’m thinking, ‘We’re back this year, two Tyson Fury fights, what else is there to do?’
“He maybe could fight Daniel Dubois, but I think for me, once AJ fights Tyson Fury, he’s kind of done it all.
“I’d love him to have another crack at Dubois, I’d love him to have another crack at [Oleksandr] Usyk.
“If we get to 2026 and he’s firing on all cylinders then 2026 won’t be his last year. But for me, something feels right about beating Tyson Fury twice and then sailing off into the sunset.”
Hearn also confirmed that Joshua will only fight once in 2025, which is expected to be in September.
He said: “He’ll only fight once this year. He’ll be good to go in the middle of September, and by then, we will know for sure if Fury is going to return or not. But [Joshua’s opponent] will also depend on what happens in the [Daniel] Dubois vs. Usyk fight. I like our spot in that respect, and if none of them are available, we’re going to fight someone else.”
Joshua held the unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021. At regional level, he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2015 to 2016.
