Anthony Joshua Set For Early 2026 Comeback Fight

Early in 2026, Anthony Joshua is most likely to make a comeback appearance in the ring. He said he would use the upcoming fight to prepare for a big fight the following summer. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, is still aiming for the highly anticipated matchup with British opponent Tyson Fury.

Joshua finally needed surgery to treat a persistent elbow issue that would not go away following his defeat against Daniel Dubois in September 2024. The 35-year-old has now resumed training after being sidelined by that.

January or the beginning of February will probably see his next comeback. He would aim for a tune-up fight against a world-ranked opponent in the top-15 before going after the greatest names in the category, but he would not immediately return to a fight with a top-tier heavyweight.

“Right now all that’s in my mind in an ideal scenario is to fight Tyson Fury next year. That’s the big focus,” Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter told Sky Sports.

“From a common-sense perspective the fight has to happen in 2026 but common sense and Fury’s decisions don’t always gel together. He’s got to want to come back.

“It’s a personal decision. We want that to be against Tyson Fury. If it’s not, it’s going to be a massive fight

“We need a top-15 guy next. It’s not going to be Fury, Usyk, Dubois, all of those top guys. We need someone so that AJ can come back in a competitive fight after being out for what will be over a year and get himself ready for what will be one last roll of the dice”.

“A defeat now at this stage of his career would be devastating to those plans. So we need to get it right.”

Don King Could’ve Been The Richest Boxing Promoter In The World But….

Meanwhile, AnthonyJoshua is back to training but not in any rush, as per Hearn.

One potential venue for the upcoming bout is Ghana, where the comeback boxer can face the winner of the Efe Ajagba-Frank Sanchez IBF eliminator or someone like Tony Yoka.

“If there was a way to win a world title it would be amazing to see him become a three-time world heavyweight champion,” Hearn added.

“At the moment Usyk has all the belts. There’s going to be some real fragmentation in the division because Parker’s the mandatory [for the WBO due next], the IBF have got the final eliminator pending for the mandatory. Usyk’s going to throw a belt away at some point”.

“I think AJ’s in a good spot in that respect. At the moment it’s just about nailing the preparation coming back better than ever in the right fight to prepare yourself for what could be a final roll of the dice.”

While Joshua is entering the final stage of his career, that could still be extended beyond 2026.

“It depends on the performance. I always said that 2026 would likely be his last year in the sport. But now with the delayed comeback, probably [could go till] 2027. If he was to get beat in his next fight that would probably be it, because that’s a fight that he’s expected to win,” Hearn said.