The former two-time heavyweight world champion’s expected retirement timeline has been thrown into doubt.
Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, previously stated that 2026 would likely be the Watford powerhouse’s final year in the sport.
But a lot has changed in that time.
The 36-year-old was due to return to the ring in February to face kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.
However, the bout was postponed after Joshua was involved in a fatal car accident in Nigeria.
The crash claimed the lives of two close friends, while the former heavyweight champion escaped with minor injuries.
Following a period of mourning and recovery, Joshua has penned a deal to face long-time rival Tyson Fury.
The blockbuster showdown depends on both heavyweights winning their respective tune-up fights.
Fury faces rugged Polish veteran Mariusz Wach in Thailand on Friday, while Joshua returns a day later to take on Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia.
It was expected that the highly anticipated domestic clash between Fury and Joshua would mark the end of the latter’s career.
But, according to Matchroom founder Barry Hearn, that is not the case.
What did Barry Hearn say?
During an appearance on Sky Sports, he explained: “[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.
“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.”
Should Joshua continue boxing for three years, his retirement age would be taken up to 39 years old.
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