Eddie Hearn Reveals Anthony Joshua's Next Steps After Demolition of Jake Paul

On Friday, December 19, Anthony Joshua defeated Jake Paul via knockout in round six of their heavyweight bout. The blockbuster fight took place in Miami, Florida, as 'AJ' returned to the ring in style after a 14-month layoff.

In his prior outing, Joshua suffered a knockout loss of his own, being stopped by fellow countryman Daniel Dubois in a world heavyweight title bout.

Friday night's win for Joshua put him back in winning form for the first time since March 2024, when he disposed of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.

Although Joshua seemingly has a meeting with Tyson Fury lined up for next year, he is understood to be competing before facing 'The Gypsy King'. In terms of his next steps, Eddie Hearn has revealed what is to come for Joshua.

Eddie Hearn discusses Anthony Joshua's next fight

Anthony Joshua is aiming to make a quick return to the ring, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, who spoke about his fighter on The Ariel Helwani Show.

According to Hearn, February 14 is the targeted date for his former heavyweight champion. However, he did reveal that the bout may be 'pushed into the middle of March due to Joshua's recent fight camp.

"We are moving forward with our plan now with His Excellency, that would be a fight in February/March, then hopefully fight Tyson Fury."
Eddie Hearn

Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

In terms of an opponent for his fight, Hearn could not commit to a definite fighter, but did respond to Helwani's query about a bout with former kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven.

"Rico is a fight that has been mentioned by certain people. We're straightforward. Ultimately, we will field offers. We could do with a fight that's going to prepare us for Tyson Fury. That's quite a difficult thing to do, style-wise."

Hearn said that he understands the interest in a fight between Joshua and Verhoeven, but does not feel it adequately prepares 'AJ' for Fury. Hearn added, "We might look at other opponents [besides Verhoeven], but we're open at the moment. We're in a wonderful position."

When asked by Helwani why Joshua's next fight would not be against Fury, the promoter said that because 'The Gypsy King' is fighting in April, Joshua did not want to wait until September.

Hearn also stated that he didn't believe Fury would accept Joshua as an opponent for a bout in the opening quarter of next year.

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