ANTHONY JOSHUA could hang up his gloves within the next “YEAR”, promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed.
AJ’s faint hopes of becoming undisputed heavyweight champion were viciously shattered in September in his Wembley war with Daniel Dubois for the IBF strap.
The Watford warrior, 35, immediately dismissed calls for him to retire, insisting he’ll “keep rolling the dice” in his bid to hold all the heavyweight marbles.
But Matchroom boxing chief and long-time pal Hearn reckons the London 2012 gold medallist could soon call it a day.
He told The Times: “This could be [Joshua’s] last year in the sport.”
AJ was on course for a do-or-die rematch with Dubois on February 22 before his team advised him not to push through niggling injuries.
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He’s champing at the bit to exact his revenge but Hearn insists they won’t plot his move until after next month’s unified heavyweight title rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
He told DAZN: “It could be the Dubois rematch but it won’t be on February 22nd.”
”I think we have to see how December 21st unfolds (Usyk-Fury II) and then make a decision after that.
”Expect to see AJ in a ring next May or June.”
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ANTHONY JOSHUA punched his way to the top of the world before being knocked off his perch.
A historic domestic dust-up between Joshua and Fury has twice been on the brink of coming to fruition.
And Hearn doesn’t want to jeopardise the biggest fight in the history of British boxing by jumping the gun and pitting AJ against Dubois again.
“It would be frustrating if we made the Dubois rematch and Fury won,” he said.
“Then we’re sitting there going, ‘Hang on a minute, we’re fighting Dubois.
“‘But we could have fought Fury in May for the biggest fight in boxing.’
“Win or lose, we can fight Fury next summer. But if he wins, AJ fights him for the world title.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
