ANTHONY Joshua could be back in the ring before the end of the year, after the tragic road crash that claimed the lives of two of his close friends and associates in Nigeria in December.
The former world heavyweight boxing champion’s promoter Eddie Hearn is working behind the scenes to secure a comeback fight.
Joshua has not set foot in the ring since dispatching Jake Paul inside six rounds in December.
Another tune-up fight had been pencilled in for February in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, until disaster struck.
While on holiday in Nigeria, a car Joshua was travelling in collided with a stationary truck parked on the hard shoulder.
Joshua escaped with minor injuries, but his close friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, were tragically killed.
Joshua’s future had been uncertain in the wake of the accident.
However, Hearn has now confirmed that there are tentative plans in place for his client to return to the ring in July.
“Originally, the plan with ‘AJ’ was for him to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury in August,” Hearn told BoxingScene.
“That’s not happening. He’s not fighting Tyson Fury next.
“He’s going to come back, I believe, in late summer, but physically he’s not yet in a position to return to camp.
“So, I’m planning, but he’s just resting and preparing. So, for me, I’m looking at options to get him back in the ring in July time.
“But we’ll only know if that’s a real possibility when he returns to camp, which will hopefully be in the next couple of weeks or a month.”
The long-awaited all-British showdown with Fury still looms large.
Boxing fans have been clamouring to see the pair face each other for the best part of eight years, and their wish could be on the verge of being granted.
“I think we’re open to the Tyson Fury fight, but probably that’s more likely end of the year – maybe early 2027,” Hearn added.
Of course, both men will have to win their respective next fights in order to lock in the big one.
Fury ends a 16-month hiatus from competition on April 11 when he squares off against Russia’s Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With agency report
