Eddie Hearn has revealed the working plan for Anthony Joshua’s 2023 schedule.
The promoter of the former heavyweight champion said his company, Matchroom, will look to close a deal for Joshua to return to the ring in December—or nine months from his win over Jermaine Franklin earlier this month—in the Middle East in a “big fight” involving either WBC titlist Tyson Fury or fellow former titlist Deontay Wilder.
Hearn said there was a chance that Joshua could fight again in the summer before facing either Fury or Wilder but that that would be contingent on how negotiations fare for the December fight.
Joshua hinted that he would not return until December not long after his points win over Franklin on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London. The announcement confused fans and observers because Hearn had long insisted that Joshua would look to fight three times this year.
All in all, Hearn made it clear that Joshua would not entertain other possibilities until a resolution was made on a December fight date.
“For AJ, one thing’s for sure, his big fight, and it will come in the Middle East, will be in December and that will be Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder,” Hearn told iFL TV. “That’s what we’re planning. I will be going out next week to meet people to discuss AJ’s fight in December.”
“Our focus is to get that mega fight in December over the line,” Hearn continued. “There is no official decision as to whether or not AJ would fight in July. Some of that may come around the decision for the completion of that fight in December. I would quite like to see him fight. I think he would quite like to fight in July. But fight now he’s not in camp for a July fight. We’re focusing on getting the December fight over the line—a fight of huge proportion. Then we’ll make a decision on the July fight in the coming weeks.
“I think the people who will be involved in the December fight would not want him to fight in July because, obviously, it’s a fight of such a huge proportion that you just wouldn’t want to take that risk of committing that money with the possibility of defeat, injury, or whatever it may be.”
Hearn also responded to rampant rumors that backers in the Middle East are interested in staging a fight card that features not only Joshua against Wilder but also an undisputed heavyweight match between unified champion Oleksandr Usyk and Fury. Hearn, however, noted that actual negotiations for that scenario have not taken place and remain merely in the discussion stages.
“There is definitely conversations that are taking place, just plans where people would like to host Fury against Usyk and AJ against Wilder on the same night. It’s gonna cost a lot of money. And we will have those conversations.”
Hearn said his preference for Joshua is to take up another fight in the summer, especially if a showdown with either Fury or Wilder materializes for December. Joshua’s new trainer, Derrick James, has also stressed the need to prepare Joshua in incremental stages before diving back into the deep of the heavyweight pool.
“AJ, as always, will be the one that makes the decision about his schedule,” Hearn said. “For me, going into a Fury fight, going into a Wilder fight, I would like for him to fight in July. I think he would and I think Derrick would. But we have to have those conversations [regarding] the December fight next week and then we’ll make a decision.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.