Anthony Joshua is expected to continue boxing for longer than was initially thought.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed 11 months ago that 2026 would likely be AJ’s final year in the sport, but a lot has changed in that time.
After knocking out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December, Joshua was due to return to the ring in February to face kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.
However, those plans were put on hold after Joshua was involved in a tragic car accident in Nigeria that killed two of his close friends and left him with minor injuries.
After a period of mourning and recuperation, Joshua signed to fight long-time rival Tyson Fury, providing both men winning their respective tune-up bouts.
Fury boxes rugged Polish veteran Mariusz Wach on Friday in Thailand, while Joshua takes on little-known Albanian Kristian Prenga one day later in Saudi Arabia.
Should the pair come out unscathed, organisers have tentatively pencilled in the much-anticipated domestic dust-up for November.
Every indication, therefore, points to the Fury fight being Joshua’s final bow.
But according to Matchroom founder Barry Hearn, that won’t be the case.
‘Never been more motivated’
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “[Anthony Joshua] is in an amazing place at the moment.
“Obviously I’ve seen him since 2012, we got very close. He’s like a member of our family really.
“I don’t think I’ve seen him so motivated for the long term.
2
“As I say, some of that has been fuelled by that tragic accident, but he’s now talking about the next three years in the ring.
“It was a year ago we were talking about potentially two fights and then go off to a happy retirement.
“He’s very motivated, he feels good about himself, but boxing is a funny sport.
“It takes one decent punch from a big lad to knock out anyone in the world.”
If Joshua continues boxing for another three years, that would take his retirement age up to 39 years old.
Watch Boxing on DAZN
*If you click a link in this boxout, we will earn affiliate revenue
Sign up to DAZN to access the definitive subscription for boxing fans.
Upgrade to DAZN Ultimate from just £24.99/month, guaranteeing access to 185+ fights annually, a minimum of 12 pay-per-views at no extra cost, as well as every Lega Serie A match and other elite football access.
Alternatively, DAZN Standard is just £15.99/month, with the caveat you will have to pay for pay-per-view events.
