Eddie Hearn’s risky risk to resurrect Anthony Joshua’s career against a dangerous tuning opponent

Eddie Hearn says that they have to choose Anthony Joshua’s “careful” tune opponent “for early 2026 to prepare for a big summer fight against the man who hopes Tyson Fury.

The heavy risks

Hearn wants to avoid Joshua (28-4, 25 kos) who suffers a annoying defeat and ruining his plans for one of the popular heavy weights. The four names that Hearn has mentioned for his warm -up struggle are still risky for him, as he will have been outside the ring for 16 to 17 months after elbow surgery and a loss of fifth round to Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024.

The four Joshua candidates

• Tony yoka
• Efe jagba
• Frank Sanchez
• Jared Anderson

These are still risky struggles by Joshua, which turns 36 next month on October 15. Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 kos) would be a potential nightmare due to its power and size of 6.6 “. With a right handed hand, he could ruin Hearn’s plans for Aj.

The 2016 Olympic Olympic Medalist, Tony Yoka (14-3, 11 kos), is also not easy. It can puncture, and its size of 6’7 “makes it a threat to Joshua. Although Yoka has lost several times in the last three years, they were involved in competitive fights where many heavy features landed.

“We have to choose carefully for the next struggle and I think the best way in all this is just being honest and saying that the next struggle will be a comeback struggle to take advantage of a dice roll next summer,” said Eddie Hearn Sky Sports Boxing. “We want this to be against Tyson Fury. If it is not, it will be a massive struggle.”

The safest route options

There are lighter heavy weights near the first 15 background that Joshua could fight that would give him a better chance of winning. Given that a long pause and bad loss will come out for dubois, choose one of these fighters, I think, would be a safer choice for AJ:

1. Johnny Fisher
2. Joseph Goodall
3. Michael Hunter
4. Mahmoud car

“We need a Top-15 Guy (below). We need someone so that AJ can return to a competitive struggle after being out of what will happen for more than a year and prepare for what will be a last dice roll,” said Hearn.

A story of reconstructions

For the reconstruction work of four Joshua struggles in 2023 and in 2024, Hearn chose four lower -level fighters with whom he did well. Although Otto Wallin and Jermaine Franklin were technically contenders, they were not a threat to overcome it. These types of heavy weights would be perfect for AJ to fight at the beginning of 2026 to keep it in progress for a summer blockbuster.

“A defeat at this stage of his career would be devastating for these plans. So we have to do it well,” said Hearn.

Another loss would put Joshua in a position where he should decide if it is worth pursuing his career. With its power, speed, size and pedigree, it could be quickly rebuilt if it could remain busy enough to squeeze -in three or four fights in a year and a half. This is unlikely, given its age and its growing tendency to fight once a year.

“Joshua is at a junction, but he has his heart to return. Look at Holyfield at the age of 34, achieving a loss to regain greatness. The 36 years of Aj have not yet done so, but the next struggle will tell us a lot,” said writer Tom Gray in Sporting News, talking about the next Joshua struggle in early 2026.