Eddie Hearn says there’s a “50-50” chance that Anthony Joshua could fight before the end of the year on an undercard in December.
This would be the first time in a decade, since 2015, that AJ will have fought on an undercard. The level of opponent obviously would be ultra-low, and you have to respect Hearn and Joshua for choosing to make it a headliner clash.
Understandably, Hearn isn’t going to risk putting Joshua in with a killer after a 15-month layoff and a brutal fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Despite suffering three defeats in his last seven fights, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, AJ, is still the golden goose for Hearn’s Matchroom.
Makhmudov: The Perfect Risk-Reward Foe
An ideal foe for Joshua would be Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov. He’s big, slow, but powerful. It would be a decent enough fighter for the boxing public to be interested in seeing Joshua fight him. But if this were a main event fight, fans would protest paying to watch the farce.
Hearn Drops the “50-50” Bombshell
The Matchroom promoter Hearn believes it would be “beneficial” for the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to get the ring-rust out from a year of inactivity to get him ready for big fights in 2026.
The two big fights that Hearn has in mind for the 36-year-old Joshua for next year:
A fight against ‘Fury is still iffy at this point, and will come down to whether the seemingly reluctant ‘Gypsy King’ will want to fight him. Thus far, Fury has resisted the pressure to face Joshua inside the ring. This has been an ongoing thing for over a decade. With the $160 million that Tyson has earned during his successful career, he’s got the wealth to resist the pressure from fans to face AJ.
Riyadh or California? The Two Options
“It’s probably 50-50 that he will fight again this year. If he goes on an undercard somewhere, it gives him a chance to get in the flow again, and it would be very beneficial for his career,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to Ring Magazine about Anthony Joshua.
AJ should take a fight in December if he hopes to fight Fury in the first quarter of 2026. He would need a tune-up to help sharpen him up for the big 6’8″ Tyson. Going into a match like that, having been out of the ring since September 2024, would be a bad idea for Joshua.
“We’ve got December 13th in California. There is also the show in Riyadh on December 27th. It might not even be something we announce weeks and weeks before,” Hearn said about Joshua’s potential next fight before the end of 2025. “He is in the gym, staying ready, so we could say, ‘You’re out in two weeks in an eight-rounder.’”
Last Updated on 10/22/2025
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