Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said Anthony Joshua could stop fighting next year.

He admitted Joshua could have only three more fights left.

Hearn has guided the British boxer’s professional career since he won the Olympic Games gold at London 2012.

The two-time world heavyweight champion is still planning his next move, having not fought since a damaging knockout defeat by fellow Briton Daniel Dubois nine months ago.

“Probably 2026 will be his last year in the sport,” Matchroom boss Hearn told the Ariel Helwani Show.

“You never know, but thinking about it, it’s probably three fights away.

“If I’m advising AJ I’m thinking, ‘We’re back this year, two Tyson Fury fights, what else is there to do?”

Joshua – who has not fought since losing to Daniel Dubois last September – is hoping to return to the ring later this year following successful elbow surgery

Mihai Nistor – who famously became the first fighter to knock out Anthony Joshua – has called for a rematch with the Brit.

The 34-year-old Romanian – who fought 64 times in major amateur bouts – went head-to-head with Joshua in the quarter-finals of the European Championships in Turkey back in 2011. Nistor amassed quite an impressive record as an amateur before turning professional back in 2019.

Since then, the heavyweight star has won all eight of his professional bouts, winning all by knockout. However, it has been over a year since he was last seen in the ring. Despite the inactivity, Nistor believes he is not far off of top world level and is prepared to sign a deal to face Joshua if boxing promoter Eddie Hearn sends an offer his way.

In an interview with World Boxing News, he said: “I’d love to box again with my former rivals. If I could box against Joshua and Usyk again, that would be my goal. But right now, I’m not just with them. I have been continuing to win fights. I’m a bit disappointed with my career.

“I was held back for about two years because of the pandemic. I am confident and convinced that I will make it to the level of Joshua and Usyk.” Joshua has not fought since suffering a brutal knockout defeat to British rival Daniel Dubois last September. The loss put an end to Joshua’s recent good run of form in the ring after losing back-to-back fights to Oleksandr Usyk.

On Joshua’s defeats to Usyk, Nistor added, “I believe Usyk defeated Joshua through superior technique and tactics. He wanted the victories more. I think Joshua’s behaviour can be explained by the fact that losing for the second time made the defeat even more painful. I believe that after the defeats to Usyk, Joshua didn’t recover mentally enough. I think that led to the loss against Dubois. He wasn’t focused.”

Regarding his own future, Nistor concluded: “I expect to get back in the ring soon. In June or July, I’ll be back and ready for anyone.” Joshua is aiming to return to competitive boxing before the end of the year, following elbow surgery. On the topic of a return to the ring, ‘AJ’ said last month: “When do you want me back, people? I’m trying to get my body right. I have got to actually have a little surgery on my elbow. A small surgery sometime in May. I’m finalising the details… that will see me out of the gym for maybe six to eight weeks, and then when I’m healed, I will be back.”

Joshua has not given up hope of finally realising a bout with Fury. The Brit is not convinced that his rival’s retirement is final and appears confident that a fight could still materialise. In a recent post uploaded to Snapchat, Joshua shared an image of himself watching Fury fight, saying: “One of these days I’ll be standing in the opposite corner. Ready and fully charged spiritually.”

I’m the only man to knock out Anthony Joshua in the amateurs, now I want a rematch in the pro ranks

Mihai Nistor is eyeing a rematch with Anthony Joshua after knocking him out in the unpaid ranks 14 years ago.

The Romanian heavyweight enjoyed a fruitful amateur career that included seven national titles and two European bronze medals.

En route to his first European medal in Turkish capital Ankara back in 2011, Nistor became the first man to stop Joshua when they met in the quarter-finals.

It marked Joshua’s second defeat as an amateur following an early setback against Dillian Whyte in 2009, and it remains his only to have come inside the distance during his vested days.

After two hard-fought rounds, Nistor caught AJ with a massive left hook in the third stanza that buckled his knees.

As he was held up by ropes, the referee stepped in and initially administered a count before subsequently waving off the contest.

While Joshua won Olympic gold in 2012 and embarked on a successful professional career one year later, Nistor stayed in the amateurs until 2019.

In a stop-and-start professional run hampered by the COVID pandemic, Nistor has compiled an unblemished 8-0 record.

As an amateur, Nistor boxed Oleksandr Usyk, Filip Hrgovic, Frazer Clarke and Joshua, but he is yet to step up the levels in the pros.

That is something he intends to change in the not-so-distant future.

“I’d love to box again with my former rivals,” Nistor told World Boxing News.

“If I could box against Joshua and Usyk again, that would be my goal.

“But right now, I’m just not with them. I have been continuing to win fights. I’m a bit disappointed with my career.

“I was held back for about two years because of the pandemic.

“I am confident and convinced that I will make it to the level of Joshua and Usyk.”

At 34 years old, Nistor will have to get a move on if he wishes to tangle with the divisional elite.

He last fought in April 2024, when he blasted Peruvian journeyman David Zegarra away in two rounds in Timisoara, Romania.

Prior to that, Nistor retired 8-3 Colombian Jhan Carlo Delgado on his stool at the end of the third frame in his maiden appearance on British soil at the Brentwood Centre in September 2023.

Joshua, meanwhile, is yet to step back in the ring since suffering a devastating knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September.

The British heavyweight recently underwent surgery on his left elbow and is currently rehabilitating his injury.

He is expected to return before the end of 2025, with some big fights in the pipeline.

Despite his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has moved two spots up in the latest Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings.

Anthony Joshua last fought in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, where he suffered a knockout defeat against Dubois.

Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk remains in a class of his own above the top 10, while Tyson Fury is ranked No.1 despite announcing his retirement in January.

Fury’s decision came after back-to-back losses to Usyk in 2024, the first defeats of his professional career. However, many in the boxing world doubt his retirement is permanent.

Joshua’s rise in the rankings follows significant shifts in the division. Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole suffered defeats in Saudi Arabia on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol II undercard.

Zhang was stopped by a devastating body shot from Agit Kabayel in the sixth round of their WBC interim heavyweight clash, while Bakole was knocked out by Joseph Parker after stepping in on two days’ notice as a late replacement for Dubois.

Bakole’s last-minute decision saw him endure a 3,800-mile journey from Congo to Saudi Arabia, taking three connecting flights. His bravery was widely praised, but the defeat cost him his IBF final eliminator status and a drop in the rankings. Previously ranked No.6, Bakole has now dropped to No.7, while Zhang fell from No.4 to No.6.

Kabayel surged to No.4 following his career-best victory, with Anthony Joshua now positioned at No.5 behind the German fighter Zhilei Zhang. Parker and the remaining heavyweights retained their original rankings.

Latest Ring Magazine Heavyweight Rankings:
Tyson Fury
Daniel Dubois
Joseph Parker
Agit Kabayel
Anthony Joshua
Zhilei Zhang
Martin Bakole
Filip Hrgovic
Fabio Wardley
Efe Ajagba