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Eddie Hearn has insisted Anthony Joshua is ready for another big fight despite suffering a devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.
After racking up four straight wins, Joshua came into the clash against Dubois last month as an overwhelming betting favorite.
The fight represented an opportunity for the 35-year-old to join an elite group of fighters who had held the heavyweight title on three separate occasions, and took place in front of a record crowd of 96,000 fans at Wembley.
Ultimately, however, in the fifth round, Joshua was stopped for the second time in his professional career, and Dubois knocked him down several times before securing the KO to become the IBF champion.
However, despite the loss, Hearn insisted that AJ is ready to return for another showdown against Dubois, or even a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury.
Eddie Hearn has claimed that Anthony Joshua is ready to return for another world title fight.
Joshua suffered the fourth defeat of his career when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois last month.
But Hearn insisted his fighter has no interest in a warm-up fight as he awaits a return.
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“It's strange to say it after a knockout loss, but AJ is actually in a very good position,” Hearn said. BBC sport.
'Let's fight Dubois or Fury next. That's all. No other interest or warm-up.”
Post-fight reports suggested Joshua would activate his rematch clause, with a possible February date in Saudi Arabia.
While Queensberry boss Frank Warren has stated that Dubois will likely make the first defense of his belt on that date regardless of the opponent, Hearn admitted that timing could prove an issue when it comes to a rematch.
He added: “AJ desperately wants revenge, but the only problem is timing.”
'For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks. “There are always problems and he had some, so physically it's just a question of if AJ is ready to do that.”
A clash between AJ and Fury could also be on the cards, depending on the outcome of The Gypsy King's rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December.
Hearn appeared to indicate that he would be in auspicio of a fight with Fury over Joshua, if Fury can avenge the first loss of his career against the Ukrainian in their rematch.
The Matchroom director added that Joshua's next opponent could depend on the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
If Fury emerges victorious, Hearn indicated that a long-awaited showdown between the Gypsy King and AJ would be planned for May next year.
“It would be frustrating if we did a rematch with Dubois and Fury won,” Hearn said.
“Then we sat there and said, 'Wait a minute, we're going to fight 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 will fight him for the world title.
Share or comment on this article: Eddie Hearn reveals who Anthony Joshua will fight next, as he insists the two-time heavyweight champion is in a “very good position” despite KO loss to Daniel Dubois.
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