“50-50 chance of Anthony Joshua fighting in 2025”

Eddie Hearn says there is a “50-50” chance Anthony Joshua could fight on an undercard in December before the end of the year.

It would be the first time in a decade, since 2015, that AJ would fight on an undercard. The level of the opponent will obviously be extremely low, and you have to respect Hearn and Joshua for choosing to make this a headliner clash.

Hearn is understandably not risking putting Joshua with a killer after a 15-month layoff and a brutal fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Despite three losses in his last seven fights, 2012 Olympic gold medalist AJ is still the golden goose for Hearn’s Matchroom.

Makhmudov: The perfect risk-reward enemy

An ideal foe for Joshua would be Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov. He is big, slow, but powerful. It would be a decent enough fighter for the boxing public to be interested in seeing Joshua fight him. But if it was a main event, fans would protest paying to watch the farce.

Hearn drops the “50-50” bomb

Matchroom promoter Hearn believes it would be “beneficial” for former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to shake off the ring rust from a year of inactivity to prepare for big fights in 2026.

The two big fights Hearn has in mind for 36-year-old Joshua next year:

A fight against ‘Fury’ is still unclear at this stage, and will come down to whether the seemingly reluctant ‘Gypsy King’ will want to fight him. So far, Fury has resisted the pressure to face Joshua inside the ring. This has been an ongoing thing for over a decade. With the $160 million Tyson has earned during his successful career, he has the wealth to withstand the pressure from fans to face AJ.

Riyadh or California? The Two Options

“It’s probably 50-50 that he’ll fight again this year. If he goes somewhere on an undercard, it gives him a chance to get back into the flow, and that will be very beneficial for his career,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn. Ring Magazine about Anthony Joshua.

AJ needs to take a fight in December if he hopes to fight Fury in the first quarter of 2026. He will need a refresher to help sharpen him up for the big 6’8″ Tyson. Going into a fight like that, after being out of the ring since September 2024, would be a bad idea for Joshua.

“We’ve got December 13 in California. There’s also the show in Riyadh on December 27. It might not even be something we announce weeks and weeks in advance,” Hearn said of Joshua’s potential next fight before the end of 2025. “He’s in the gym and staying ready, so we can say, ‘You’re out in two weeks in an eight-to-day.’