ANTHONY JOSHUA is in talks over a new two-fight deal – but it may not include Tyson Fury or Daniel Dubois.
AJ has been out since September when he was knocked out by Dubois at Wembley.
An arm injury has ruled him out of returning – leaving Joshua to have surgery on his elbow in May.
And promoter Eddie Hearn revealed talks with Saudi boxing boss Turki Alalshikh have taken place in the meantime.
Hearn told BoxingScene: “We are actually discussing a two-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
“We’ve been doing that, [Turki Alalshikh] said that on the night of Canelo [vs. William Scull, May 3], when we had our meeting, and that’s the plan really.
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“We want to box sometime this year, October, November, December.”
Joshua, 35, snubbed a rematch with Dubois, 27, the IBF champion.
Dubois now rematches Oleksandr Usyk on July 19 at Wembley two years after losing to the Ukrainian.
Fury, 36, was twice beaten by Usyk, 38, in 2024 and announced his shock retirement in January.
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It dashes hopes of a British blockbuster with AJ but Hearn said: “We’ll see what happens with Dubois-Usyk, we’ll see what happens with Fury.
“And if we don’t fight those guys, we’ll fight, and then maybe we’ll follow one of those guys next year.”
Two names also on Joshua’s radar are Dillian Whyte and American Jared Anderson.
Hearn said: “Two guys that have been discussed, but nothing concrete.”
AJ knocked out Whyte in 2015 and they were due to meet in a rematch in August 2023.
That was until Whyte returned “an adverse finding” in his pre-fight drug test – having to subsequently withdraw.
He blamed the failed test on a tainted supplement and returned last year with wins in Ireland and Gibraltar.
Whyte is due to return on Saturday on Fabio Wardley’s undercard in Ipswich – but is yet to have an opponent.
Anderson, 25, meanwhile was KO’d by Martin Bakole, 31, last August but beat Marios Kollias in his February comeback.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
