Promoter Eddie Hearn says he’s unsure if Anthony Joshua will be fighting #1 IBF Filip Hrgovic for the title in March because many things must happen before that can occur.
While the 34-year-old Joshua (27-3, 24 KOs) does plan on returning to the ring on March 9th or 16th in Saudi Arabia, we won’t know if it’s Hrgovic or not until after WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury and IBF/WBA/WBO champ Oleksandr Usyk meet on February 17th.
Once the IBF title is vacated, that would be the signal for Joshua to face Hrgovic for the vacant belt.
Hearn hasn’t said whether AJ has made up his mind to fight Hrgovic for the IBF title because he can always pick it up later if he defeats the winner of the second Fury vs. Usyk fight in December.
If Joshua doesn’t fight Hrgovic for the IBF title, the Croatian would battle the next available contender in the IBF’s rankings. That would be Joseph Parker.
“I think he’s [Joshua] going to fight in March. Then I guess he fights in August and September, so whether it’s three times in the calendar year or three times from March to March,” Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn said to IFL TV about Anthony Joshua.
Hearn sees fighting three times this year, starting in March, then the summer, and then in December against the Fury-Usyk winner. His dream is for AJ to face Fury in a big money fight in December, which would likely take place in Saudi Arabia and be a big hit with the British public, who are keen on both of these fighters.
“A lot has to happen by March to make that possible with Hrgovic. Obviously, [Tyson Fury & Oleksandr] Usyk fight in the middle of February. Are they going to be able to keep the [IBF heavyweight] belt? Do they have to let it go? Is Joshua just going to replace Wallin in the rankings? There’s a lot of discussions,” Hearn said.
The other options for Joshua’s fight in March are Francis Ngannou and Zhilei Zhang. It’s been reported that negotiations have already started for a fight between AJ and Ngannou for March. If that fight happens, Joshua could face Hrgovic in the summer.
Joshua had planned on fighting Deontay Wilder on March 9th, but that went down the drain with the Bronze Bomber’s loss to Joseph Parker on December 23rd.
In hindsight, it was a foolish idea for Wilder to face Parker, as he was too good for him to take on, particularly at his advanced age and having fought only one round in two years.