Anthony Joshua fight date and venue become clear in new update
The former two-time heavyweight world champion has not fought since suffering a devastating knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last year, but his return fight could come within the next few months
Anthony Joshua looks set to return to the ring next February in Africa.
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith recent held talks Ghana, with Eddie Hearn revealing to The Ring that a deal has now been agreed to stage their first ever show in west Africa. The aforementioned showcase will take place on December 20 - five days before Christmas.
It is set to act as a crucial ‘precursor’ to a potential Joshua fight in Accra in February. The former two-time heavyweight champion has not fought since suffering a brutal knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, London. 'AJ' has been sidelined for the majority of 2025 due to minor injuries he sustained from the showdown with 'Triple D.'
After undergoing surgery on his elbow, Joshua is now back in training and is eyeing up a return to the ring in the coming months. Speaking about the upcoming event in Ghana and Joshua's potential return, Hearn told The Ring: “We're doing a show in Ghana on December 20.
"Obviously this will not be an AJ show but it’s still going to be a good show. The idea is that this is probably a precursor for an AJ show out there but it’s not part of our initial deal. We can just get the lay of the land with this one. Frank [Smith] went out there for a site visit and was impressed by what he saw. This deal is with the same people.
"We are working on what fighters will feature on the card at the moment. There will be some with Ghanaian backgrounds and then some of our own fighters as well. Then we are looking to go back there with AJ in February."
Joshua's promoter insists his star client will face a "top-20" fighter on his return to the ring, before targeting a summer showdown with Tyson Fury. However, the 'Gypsy King' handed 'AJ' a real blow after expressing his desire to face Oleksandr Usyk for a third time next year.
Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley will face off at London's O2 Arena on Saturday, October 25.
Fans can order the full fight card on DAZN PPV for £24.99 and get one month's free access to the entire DAZN platform with an annual plan or a seven-day trial.
That said, Hearn is adamant that Joshua and Fury will have to fight each other before either fighter can call for a third fight with the Ukrainian. The British duo have traded verbal jabs over the last few years, but a fight between them has never materialised. "He's a competitor just like AJ, the only person that's beat Tyson Fury is Oleksandr Usyk and he's beat him twice and he's beat him fair and square," Hearn told Sky Sports.
"Two good fights, two competitive fights. Same with AJ. First fight was a bit wider, second fight was very competitive. AJ would love to fight Usyk again. But he also understands it's not really a fight he can call for just yet because he's coming off a defeat and he's lost to him twice before. Just like the reality is Tyson Fury's coming off two defeats. The trilogy being 2-0 down is not really something that happens a lot."
He added: "No one's interested in Fury against Usyk, no one's interested in AJ against Usyk, they've seen it twice and it was the same result both times. People are interested in AJ against Fury I don't know what the delay is for the inevitable of just saying of course [let's make the fight]. I think [it has to happen]. Why delay the inevitable?"
When is the next boxing fight?
Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley will go head-to-head on Saturday, October 25 at the O2 Arena in London. The main card is expected to get underway at around 5pm BST (12pm ET / 9am PT / 11am CT). In the main event, Wardley will likely make the walk to the ring first at 10pm BST (5pm ET / 2pm PT / 4pm CT) with Parker set to follow immediately after.
All of the action is set to be shown live on DAZN at a cost of £24.99. The popular streaming platform can be found as an additional subscription on TVs. It can also be streamed live on the official website or the downloadable app. A DAZN subscription is £119.99 or £14.99 per month, or £24.99 on a flexible commitment that can be cancelled at any point.
