Joshua ready to keep boxing, says Hearn

Anthony Joshua is eager to keep boxing longer than he first planned. Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn shared this news with PUNCH Sports Extra.

Last year, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said 2026 might be the last year for Joshua in the ring. Now, the former two-time heavyweight champion is thinking about fighting for another three years.

Joshua's mindset changed after a tough time that included a sad car accident in Nigeria. This accident took the lives of two of his close friends and left him with minor injuries. After mourning and healing, Joshua returned to the ring and is now looking forward to a long-awaited fight with Tyson Fury.

The 36-year-old boxer knocked out YouTuber Jake Paul in December. He was set to fight kickboxing star Rico Verhoeven in February, but the accident made him postpone that match.

Now, Joshua is ready to face unknown Albanian fighter Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. This fight will happen just one day after Fury battles experienced Polish heavyweight Mariusz Wach in Thailand. If both fighters win and stay injury-free, the plan is to set up a big fight between Joshua and Fury in November.

There are talks that the fight with Fury could be Joshua's last, but Barry Hearn believes the former champion has found his motivation again.

“Anthony Joshua is in an amazing place at the moment,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

“Obviously, I’ve seen him since 2012. We got very close. He’s like a member of our family really.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him so motivated for the long term.

“As I say, some of that has been fuelled by that tragic accident, but he’s now talking about the next three years in the ring.

“It was a year ago we were talking about potentially two fights and then go off to a happy retirement.

“He’s very motivated. He feels good about himself, but boxing is a funny sport. It takes one decent punch from a big lad to knock out anyone in the world.”

If Joshua sticks to this new plan, he will keep boxing until around the age of 39.