Former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua will not be fighting any time soon. As AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn told The Ring, Joshua is currently injured – “to the top half of his body” – and will not be able to return to training camp for eight weeks.
And this will mean, Hearn said, Joshua will not be able to box again until the late summer, probably September. It was of course in September of last year when Joshua last fought, when he was quite sensationally smashed to pai full defeat by Daniel Dubois.
Prior to that loss, Joshua had been active, and he had put together a pretty decent winning run of form. But now, Joshua will return to fighting just one fight a year, as he did back in 2020 and 2021.
35 year old Joshua, currently 28-4(25) will heal up before going back into camp. When – or you could even say if – AJ does fight again, it will be interesting to see who his dance partner is. Hearn has said numerous times that the only two fights Joshua is interested in at this stage of his career are fights with either Dubois in a revenge mission, or Tyson Fury, this a fight so many UK fans still very much want to see.
“Top half of his body, there you go. Nothing major,” Hearn said when discussing the nature of Joshua’s injury. “He needs about another eight weeks before he can punch properly.”
So, Joshua will not return to the ring until August at the earliest, with September looking more likely. By this time, will Joshua still be looked at as a fighter who is capable of returning to the top of his division? Some fans will likely feel Joshua’s best days have already passed him by, and that his next comeback will end in defeat if he does fight a Dubois or a Fury.
It’s up to Joshua to prove to us all that no, he ain’t done fighting and winning just yet.
