Promoter reveals Joshua won’t return to boxing until the summer of 2025 due to injury
Former world champion Anthony Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed when fans can expect to see the Brit back in the ring and it has implications for a potential rematch with Daniel Dubois.
After racking up four consecutive victories, Joshua entered his bout with Dubois in September as an overwhelming betting favourite.
The 35-year-old had the chance to join an elite group of fighters to have held the heavyweight title on three separate occasions with the showdown staged in front of a reported record crowd of 96,000 fans at Wembley.
However, it proved to be a disastrous night for Joshua, who was dropped several times before being stopped for the second time in his professional career in the fifth round.
It was expected that an immediate rematch would take place with Saudi chief Turki Alalshikh revealing the proposed date was February 22, 2025.
However, Hearn has claimed that is now off the cards with Joshua still suffering from minor injuries.
Taking to Instagram, Hearn revealed: 'He had 5 fights in 18 months, he will be fine. Back in the summer.'
Dubois' promoter Frank Warren has already made it clear that that will be too long for his fighter to wait.
Speaking last week, Warren told BoxNation: 'I don't see [the Joshua rematch] happening next. We're looking at a couple of things at the moment and we'll make a decision.
'I was hoping we'd get it done fairly quickly, but we won't. I was hoping to get it done last week and then this week. Sometime next week we'll be in a position where we can close on something. We're talking to a few other guys.
'I'm hearing that he's injured. Whatever it is, if things are going to happen, they happen. It's taken a while to feel like it won't happen, and unless I get a phone call saying it's on, then we've got to make some decisions.
'We're in the Daniel Dubois business. He's the champion. He's the guy who matters to me.[February 22] is when I want to get him out, and he wants to be out.'
The IBF has also confirmed that Dubois can make an optional defence of his title against any of their ranked opponents before April 22.
