Eddie Hearn outlines Anthony Joshua’s two-fight plan for 2025

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua intends to fight twice in 2025, as the heavyweight aims to bounce back from his devastating loss to Daniel Dubois.

In September, Dubois dropped Joshua, 35, multiple times en route to a fifth-round knockout win, retaining the IBF title at Wembley Stadium.

Dubois’s next defence is scheduled for February, when he faces Joseph Parker – a former opponent of “AJ” – in Saudi Arabia. That fight comes at the expense of a swift rematch between Joshua and Dubois, and it remains unclear whether AJ could face his fellow Briton next – but later in the year – or finally square off with another compatriot in Tyson Fury.

Fury is coming off two decision losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, while Joshua also lost to the Ukrainian on points twice, in 2021 and 2022.

When asked about Joshua’s next fight, his promoter Hearn told iFL TV: “[It will be] in May or June. He’s not in full training yet. He’s probably ready to resume training in January.

“At the moment, you’ve got the Dubois fight on 22 February, and you’ve got to see what Fury wants to do. We’re not in a terrible rush. AJ will fight twice in 2025. Once in the summer and once in the winter.

“If we can’t make the Dubois fight and if Fury doesn’t want to fight, then you have to make the decision to fight somebody, or do you wait for those fights?

“I can’t speak on behalf of AJ, for who he’s prepared to fight. But what I know is the focus is Daniel Dubois or Tyson Fury. Of course, Joshua’s done it all. If he gets Fury on his resume, he’s boxed virtually everybody of his era.”

If Dubois is to beat Parker in February, he could be in line for a rematch with Usyk, who stopped “Dynamite” in 2023. After Usyk beat Fury again on 21 December, Dubois was quick to enter the ring and call out the unbeaten champion.

When Usyk defeated Dubois, the stoppage came after a controversial moment in which Usyk fell to the canvas after a punch that was ruled a low blow – though many observers felt the shot should have been deemed a legal body shot.