Promoter Eddie Hearn says that Anthony Joshua will fight next in the first quarter of 2025, in May or June. First, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will await the outcome of the Dec. 21 rematch between unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury before deciding.
When Will Joshua Fight Next?
Matchroom promoter Hearn said DAZN that Joshua returns in May or June. Assuming Fury is beaten again by Usyk, Hearn will need to find a semi-soft opponent for Joshua to fight, unless he wants to make the Joshua-Fury match in that dire situation. With fighters coming off losses, the match would be mocked by the fans, and would not be taken seriously.
You’d like to think that Joshua and Fury will choose to get a win under their belt before they meet, but I doubt it. The smell of money It would be too strong for these two to hold off in their match, especially if their self-confidence is gone. Fury has already lost his fanfare after beating Usyk earlier on May 18, and the apologies are clear signs that, mentally, he is wracked by self-doubt.
Hearn has delayed making a decision on Joshua’s next opponent since his fifth-round KO loss to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on September 21. How the young lion Dubois beat Joshua made it difficult for Hearn and AJ insisted on an immediate rematch.
When Joshua lost to Andy Ruiz Jr on June 1, 2019, AJ and Hearn agreed to fight an immediate rematch. The same is true for when Joshua lost to Usyk for the first time on September 25, 2021. This time, with Joshua being knocked out by the 27-year-old Dubois, it is different. Hearn and Joshua aren’t eager to rematch with Dubois. It’s too risky.
The chances of success are slim, and it permanently ruins Fury’s fight if ever. His Excellency Turki Alalshikh says that a fight between AJ and Fury can still happen if one or both of them lose, but it would still be a bad look on the two British fighters to go into the match with one or the other coming off losses.
It makes sense for Joshua to wait for the Usyk-Fury 2 rematch because the fight fans want to see is between him and Fury. This fight will bring in massive money and generate interest worldwide.
The bad news is that the 36-year-old Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs) will likely lose to WBA, WBC, and WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) on December 21, spoiling a lot. of interest in a match against Joshua.
Dubois’ problems of loss and revenge
Dubois dropped Joshua four times, once in rounds 1, 3, 4 and 5, to get the knockout on September 21 at London’s Wembley Stadium. The way Dubois obliterated Joshua would have been a bad business move on his and Hearn’s part to fight him.
There is too much money on the line for Joshua with the Fury match and other fights for him to sacrifice his career by going against Dubois a second time.
If Joshua was younger, he could adopt the Wladimir Klitschko style of saving and outboxing Dubois, but not at 35. He is too old to drastically change his fighting style for this match, as he did in his rematch against a out-of-. form Andy Ruiz on December 7, 2019.
