“It’s going to be someone like, you know, I don’t think you’re going to look at it and say, ‘Wow,'” Hearn told iFL TV.
Hearn defended that route by pointing to Joshua’s recent injuries and the need to get back in shape before stepping into a much bigger event later in the year.
“It’s also a comeback fight after some pretty serious injuries and obviously a very traumatic time in his life.”
This suggests that Team Joshua is focused on regaining rounds, timing and confidence rather than immediately gambling against a dangerous opponent. Hearn also hinted that the lower-profile July fight is directly linked to something much bigger.
“The good news for you is that if we take a fight like this, we’ve signed to fight Tyson Fury.”
If that plan holds, fans may complain about the return opponent, but they’ll probably accept it if Joshua vs Fury follows soon after.
However, AJ takes another “easy” touch in July, it creates a massive gap in his resume. His last real heavyweight test was that brutal knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
The Jake Paul fight in December 2025 was basically a lucrative exhibition in all but name, and following it up with another low-level opponent means Joshua would have gone nearly two years without facing a legitimate, top-10 heavyweight. At 36, that’s a lot of competitive rust to shake off before stepping into someone like Fury.
If Joshua destroys a hand-picked opponent in July, it might just be Fool’s Gold. We’ve seen this cycle before: AJ looks like a destroyer against someone he’s supposed to beat, the hype train leaves the station, and then he struggles when the level of opposition actually tests his chin or stamina.
If the July fight is really about recovery and readiness after his car accident, Hearn is essentially betting that AJ’s muscle memory and world-class strength are still there, even if the elite-level activity isn’t.
