Eddie Hearn offers Anthony Joshua update amid surprise Daniel Dubois news

Eddie Hearn has predicted that Anthony Joshua will return to the ring in “May or June”, with the former champion set to miss out on February’s planned mega-card in Saudi Arabia.

Boxing journalist Dan Rafael reported this week that Daniel Dubois will defend the IBF heavyweight title against Joseph Parker on 22 February, with Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol 2 among the other planned bouts in Riyadh.

Dubois’s first title defence came in September, when he knocked out Joshua at Wembley Stadium, and talk quickly turned to a rematch. But Joshua will have to wait to get his hands on his fellow Briton again, it seems – while Hearn suggested that AJ vs Fury could be an alternative move.

Fury is due to box on 21 December, aiming to avenge his May defeat by Oleksandr Usyk, as the pair vie for the Ukrainian’s unified titles.

“I think the camp will start at the beginning of next year now,” Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans. “There’s a lot of work to do for AJ. He’s very motivated, he’s had a good rest, and he’ll have another rest [in] December as well.

“I think you’ll see him back around May or June. For me, the two fights are Daniel Dubois and Tyson Fury.

“Obviously we’ll be watching, he’ll be there ringside on 21 December, and I think it’ll be one of [Dubois and Fury] next. I always get asked every day, on the street, petrol stations, wherever it is: ‘When are we gonna see AJ against Fury? We don’t care about [Dubois and Usyk’s roles]; when are [Joshua and Fury] gonna fight each other?’

“I think win or lose [for Fury against Usyk], you’re going to see that fight. But we’d much rather Tyson Fury won, because he’d be world heavyweight champion again. Either way, I think we need to see that fight in 2025, and I believe we will.”

Usyk held the unified titles before taking the WBC belt from Fury in May, becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion in almost 25 years. He was then forced to vacate the IBF title, however, meaning Dubois was upgraded from interim champion to regular champion.

Should Usyk and Dubois win their upcoming fights, they could be set for an undisputed bout in 2025 – two years after the Ukrainian stopped the Briton in Poland.

That could open the door for Joshua to fight Fury, in a clash that has been desired by fans for years.