Eddie Hearn has revealed talks are underway for Anthony Joshua to finally fight Tyson Fury next year.
Joshua has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September 2024, but he is expected to make his return in the coming months.
Hearn had previously teased a comeback before the end of the year ahead of a potential clash with Fury next summer but has now admitted Joshua is unlikely to fight again until early 2026. However, he believes this could change if a deal with Fury can be struck in the meantime.
“I think February is the date we’re moving towards now, in Saudi, in Ghana, or in London,” Hearn told iFL TV when asked about Joshua’s return.
“I’ll be honest with you, it depends what happens with the Tyson Fury fight, because we know that His Excellency is discussing that fight with us.”
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There are still doubts over whether Fury will ever step back in the ring again. He announced his retirement in January after consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk last year.
He subsequently teased a U-turn as he claimed a trilogy bout with Usyk was on the cards for next April.
However, Usyk now looks set to go in a different direction to defend his undisputed status against Fabio Wardley and Fury claimed last week that he will not be tempted out of retirement even if he is offered £1bn.
Hearn is still optimistic Fury will return to face Joshua in a domestic showdown that has been a decade in the making and is adamant his fighter is fully on board.
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But he conceded he is unsure how negotiations are progressing between Fury and Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh over a deal.
“We have no knowledge how he’s (Alalshikh) getting on with Tyson Fury,” Hearn continued. “And this is how he works, he’ll do our deal then try and do a deal with Tyson Fury or vice versa.
“So for us, we haven’t done our deal yet to fight Tyson Fury, but we are discussing it … we’re in.”
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