Eddie Hearn shares Joshua comeback details plus Wilder and Fury plan
Eddie Hearn has detailed Anthony Joshua's plans for 2023, as the Englishman looks to bounce back from back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua fought just twice across 2021 and 2022, meeting Usyk on both occasions.
Sadly for the Englishman both ended in defeat, with the Ukrainian taking AJ's WBA, IBF, and WBO heavyweight titles in September 2021, before defending them just under a year later in Saudi Arabia. Despite his most recent defeat Joshua looked set for another title shot against fellow Englishman Tyson Fury last month.
However, a saga surrounding the negotiations soon followed and the chances of the fight – dubbed the 'Battle of Britain' – were quickly wiped as talks broke down.
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Despite a difficult two years, Joshua's promoter Hearn has tipped the former world champion for an exciting 2023, with a plan put in place for him to regain his heavyweight belts. He told DAZN: "The plan is to rebuild him to become a three-time heavyweight world champion and the trainer will want to take the appropriate steps to do that."
To do so there there is no doubt the Englishman will have to fight some big names in order to get back to the top. As a result, Hearn has predicted that Joshua will therefore either re-explore a fight with Fury, or turn to heavyweight veteran Deontay Wilder after having already fought in April and the summer.
"It is all well being brave and going out there and fighting Wilder but there has to be a smart plan. His plan is to return against a top 15 credible guy then move forward in the summer with probably Dillian Whyte, then move forward again.
"The key is to see him box three times this year. He is excited and is in a great place mentally. I expect to see a good performance from him in the first week of April. I am not talking about somebody you have never heard of, I am talking about a top 15 guy that AJ can go in with, work with his new team and then have a big stadium fight in the summer."
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Claiming that he believes a fight with wither Fury or Wilder is 'nailed on', Hearn went on: "I am not ruling out Wilder for the second fight of the year but we must get this moment right.
"We know it would be a huge fight that would do massive numbers in the UK, US or Middle East. I truly believe Wilder or Fury are nailed on for 2023."They have to be because AJ is not interested in three or four nothing fights. He wants to be in the biggest fights possible."
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