Eddie Hearn Lands Ghana Deal for December 20 Card—But Anthony Joshua Won’t Be Fighting There

Promoter Eddie Hearn has reportedly agreed to a deal to stage an event not involving Anthony Joshua on December 20th in Accra, Ghana.

Matchroom Expands to Africa

Staging event in Ghana would be a business move for Hearn. He states that he received a “very interesting offer” to stage an event during a recent visit in Accra. A lucrative site deal for a boxing event in Ghana makes it an appealing location.

The Ring reports that the Matchroom boss Hearn says Anthony Joshua will not be on the December 20th card. AJ could fight in Accra in February 2026.

Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) could fight in December in a “Run out” type of clash on an undercard, but it won’t be in Ghana. Hearn hasn’t given any hints about who AJ could fight.

If Joshua fights in Ghana in February, it wouldn’t be against Tyson Fury, and the odds of it being against Jake Paul are extremely low. A Joshua vs. Paul fight would be a commercial beast. To make the most amount of money, it would need to be staged in the U.S in a stadium.

Olly Campbell’s Viewpoint: Ghana Isn’t Joshua’s Home — It’s Hearn’s Deal

It would be a strange place for the former two-division world champion Joshua to re-connect with his African roots. His ancestors are from Nigeria, not Ghana. If AJ fought in Accra, it would be more about a business angle due to the site fee.

Still, the fight could be marketed as an “African Homecoming” for Joshua, which would create fans interest in the same way as it would if he were to fight in Nigeria. The average fan isn’t aware that AJ’s ancestry is from Nigeria in Africa.

So, they wouldn’t be less interested in the event. If it’s just marketing for financial purposes, Ghana works as well as Nigeria. It would be kind of weird, through. If my ancesters were from the UK, I’d feel uncomfortable marketing a fight as me coming back to my European roots by fighting in France. I couldn’t live with yourself doing that.

Ideally, the “African homecoming” angle should be left out of the marketiing of Joshua’s fight in Accra, Ghana, because there would be a backlash. Nigeria and Ghana are separated by 1000 miles.

Since 2015, Olly Campbell has brought readers clear ringside perspective and a steady voice on boxing’s biggest nights.