Flash Knockdown, Matchroom’s weekly podcast, relaunched with Jamie Ward and Scott Hammerton fronting it, and Eddie Hearn wasted no time giving updates on Anthony Joshua. The Matchroom boss sat in his regular slot and spelled out what’s really happening behind closed doors.
Joshua hasn’t fought in nearly a year, but Hearn insists he’s back in camp. The bigger question isn’t training – it’s timing and location.
Ghana in Play for AJ’s Return
Hearn made it clear there’s an African push: “It was well publicised about the meetings that took place in Ghana over the last couple of weeks. There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for Joshua to fight in Africa.”
But he also cautioned fans not to circle December on the calendar: “As the time ticks by, it’s probably more likely that we see [Anthony Joshua] in the ring again for a January/February date if I’m honest. I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December.”
And the big sticking point? “When you are doing site deals a lot of it depends on when the host wants to stage the show. So, if Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January/February, then that’s the offer.”
Warm-Up First – Then Fury or Another Top Heavyweight
Hearn doesn’t want fans expecting fireworks straight away: “Any fight he has next though is likely to be a warm-up fight for that ‘roll the dice’ fight. We hope, in an ideal world, that is Tyson Fury. If not, it will be against one of the top five Heavyweights.”
He doubled down on AJ’s current state: “He’s been travelling about a bit but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. But these big fights take time and every Joshua event is a massive event.”
And on Fury specifically, Hearn said: “That’s still the dream fight. If it happens next year, unbelievable. If it doesn’t, it has to be Wilder, it has to be one of those guys. Because Joshua doesn’t want to waste his time fighting nobodies.”
MY TAKE: Eddie’s quotes are polished, but the subtext is clear: December’s dead. Joshua isn’t fighting this year. Ghana is a nice story, but it’s not locked in – it’s site-deal roulette, same as Saudi, same as Vegas. If the money lines up, they’ll go. If not, it’s back to London or Riyadh.
The warm-up angle? Fair enough. AJ’s been out, he needs rounds, but fans aren’t going to queue up to watch him beat up a fringe heavyweight. The Fury fight is still being dangled like a carrot – we’ve heard this song before.
Eddie says “Joshua doesn’t want to waste his time fighting nobodies,” but here’s the contradiction: that’s exactly what a warm-up is. So which is it? If they’re serious about Fury, Wilder, or Usyk, then fine – take the tune-up, stay sharp, but don’t pretend it’s anything else.
AJ’s career is at the “make it now or get left behind” stage. A Ghana homecoming sounds glamorous, but fans only care if the next fight after that is huge. Otherwise, the heavyweight scene moves on without him.