Eddie Hearn Hopes Anthony Joshua Still Wants to Fight

JAKARTA - Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn hopes former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua will still want to fight in the ring after the deaths of two close friends in a crash in Nigeria at the end of last year.

Hearn, who has promoted Joshua since he turned professional after winning gold at the 2012 Olympics, said there was no guarantee Joshua would return to the ring after the tragic incident.

"At the same time, I hope he wants to fight again because it's something he loves," Hearn said as quoted by BBC Sport.

Joshua - who is currently 36 - suffered only minor injuries in a traffic accident in Nigeria on December 29, 2025 which killed Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, two close friends.

The two-time heavyweight world champion then returned to training last month. This was known from a video upload on social media, but the signal to fight again is still a mystery.

"From a boxing point of view, what he's physically experienced is not easy either. He's been training, but he's not ready and probably won't be ready to return to boxing training in the near future," Hearn said.

Joshua was involved in the accident just days after he defeated Jake Paul, a YouTube star who had just made his professional boxing debut, in the sixth round of a dull fight in Miami, United States.

After the victory, Joshua declared himself ready to step into the ring against his compatriot Tyson Fury - a fight many boxing fans are waiting for - to reclaim the status of the best heavyweight boxer in Great Britain.

Fury then announced his return from retirement earlier this year. The decision was considered a form of readiness to fight Joshua.

However, Joshua's place in the boxing world has been in doubt since he lost his best friends, who witnessed his successful career journey.