Last Saturday night, Matchroom promoter Hearn made clear the priority is getting Joshua active again after injuries and recent setbacks rather than throwing him straight into the biggest fight available.
“There’ll be a lot of nervous people that night because there’s a lot on the line in the Tyson Fury fight,” Hearn said to Fight Hub TV. “The choosing will be more get him in the ring, get over his injuries, obviously mentally get himself in the right place to fight again before taking on one of the biggest challenges of his career.”
That is the most honest public read on Joshua’s position in months. The Fury fight still carries money and public interest, but Hearn’s comments suggest Joshua is being handled as a rebuilding contender, not a man ready to walk straight into a defining event.
Hearn also shut down one possible option when asked if Miller could be the in-between opponent.
“I don’t think so. No, I don’t think he’s going to be the guy,” Hearn said.
That likely means a lower-risk selection is being considered, someone credible enough to sell the event but manageable enough to move Joshua toward Fury intact.
Joshua remains one of boxing’s biggest commercial names, but name value and current form are not always the same thing. His team sounds aware of that reality. A return fight first is the safer route, and probably the necessary one.
If an announcement lands next week as Hearn expects, the long wait around Joshua’s next step may finally be ending.
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