Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Anthony Joshua will not be back in the ring this year.
Joshua has been out of action since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in 2024, but was expected to be making his return to the ring against Jake Paul.
While a date had not been officially confirmed, it was rumoured that Joshua would be back in action towards the end of 2025.
Although, the American has now announced that he will first be having an exhibition bout with Gervonta Davis on November 14.
In lieu of this development in Paul’s career, Hearn was questioned on what it all means for Joshua’s next move.
He told Fight Hype: “We knew Jake might fight in November, we didn’t expect it to be Gervonta.
“So I don’t really know how that affects us in terms of would we do that fight? The issue is we won’t wait till November.
“I won’t speak on his behalf, but I doubt we will commit to that fight until Tank has fought him in November.
“We are not going to wait until November to make our move, so it is very likely Anthony Joshua will fight in January or February against someone else.
“But Tank is Tank, who knows? They still have to make sure that the fight happens. We knew Jake would take a fight this side of the year, but it is what it is.”
Paul and Joshua were believed to be in advanced stages of negotiating a bout, but it fell through at short notice and paved the way for Paul vs Davis.
While the fight news came as a shock to many, Paul has since taken to social media to tease that he still plans on fighting Joshua.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer ended his post on X saying: “First, I am going to kill David, then I will go on to slaughter Goliath.”
What’s likely to be next for Anthony Joshua?
There is a slim chance Joshua will be opposite Paul in his comeback fight next year, with alternative names linked to his comeback bout.
While Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are also potential options, both seem unlikely albeit for different reasons.
Fury is currently undecided on his boxing future, and Usyk is keeping his next move under the wrap while he rests after his most recent win.
However, one fighter that is heavily linked to facing the 35-year-old Olympic gold medallist, Tony Yoka,
The Frenchman seems confident that a bout between the pair could take place in Africa.
Meanwhile Hearn has reportedly told Dave Allen that he could land a fight with Joshua should the 33-year-old defeat Arslanbek Makhmudov on October 11, in what will certainly be a tough challenge for the Briton.