Anthony Joshua has been tipped for a surprise return to the ring by his promoter Eddie Hearn.
Joshua will lace the gloves back on next month, Hearn claims, although an opponent is unconfirmed.
Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing have three dates in the diary for December — Dec. 13, 15 and 27 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Asked if Joshua would return on one of those dates, Hearn responded to DAZN: “Yes.”
Joshua hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last September.
However, Hearn has been teasing the various options at Joshua’s disposal when he makes a comeback.
Those include a fight in Africa (Joshua has heritage from Nigeria) and possibly fighting Tyson Fury in 2026.
Fury, meanwhile, insists his current retirement from boxing will stay permanent.
None of Joshua’s anticipated options included a fight arranged at relative short-notice, by his standards, for December.
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Hearn was also asked about whether a fantasy fight, pitting Joshua against Jake Paul, could become a reality.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul has turned heads by insisting he would fight the former world heavyweight champion.
“If you’re asking me if we’d take the fight? Of course we’d take the fight,” Hearn told DAZN.
“It would be a nice way to just end this little journey.
“Does Jake Paul really want to fight Anthony Joshua? He’s a crazy guy. Maybe he thinks he can catch AJ on the fly [because he] hasn’t really been in training camp.
“Nothing too much to report right now but, should the opportunity present itself, it would be a huge fight. Never say never.”