Anthony Joshua Says His Next Fight Will Be In December As He Targets Return From Elbow Surgery

British former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua says his next fight will be in December as he plans his return from elbow surgery.

Anthony Joshua, 35, says he expects to be back in the ring in December, which could spell the end to any possible bout with Tyson Fury.

Joshua has not fought since his one-sided defeat to fellow Brit Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last September.

But despite the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury retiring from boxing, AJ is thought to have been eyeing Fury as his next opponent.

Earlier this week, news broke that Joshua would require surgery on an elbow injury, ruling him out of training for at least eight weeks.

Anthony Joshua Next Fight Is Expected To Be This Year

The latest update from Joshua is that he intends to fight again before the end of 2025.

He told ESPN Mexico: “December I will fight again.

“That’s when I want to fight again, I’ll take some time and I will go in December.

“I just want to get my body feeling good and then I’ll fight. It’s a simple job.”

If he does indeed make his return in December, it will have been more than a year between fights for Joshua.

The timing would also harm any chance of a possible stadium fight against Fury.

It is highly unlikely there would be an open-air fight held in a UK venue during the winter.

This means any Joshua Vs Fury clash on British soil would need to wait until 2026, or be held overseas. (most likely Saudi Arabia).

Joshua Has Several Next Opponent Options With Fury Fight Unlikely

With the long-awaited Fury showdown still off the table, Anthony Joshua’s next fight could be against a number of opponents.

Martin Bakole, Agit Kabayel and Deontay Wilder have been touted as possible options, with a clash against Wilder sure to produce fireworks.

But first, American fighter Wilder must win his own comeback clash, when he faces Tyrell Herndon next month.

There will be no shortage of fighters keen to face Joshua, with even former YouTuber Jake Paul calling out the British heavyweight.

But AJ has made it clear he needs to work on himself and get his body 100 per cent right before he makes a comeback.

“My body has been through the works,” added Joshua.

“If I want to be here for the long time I just want to make sure my body is really really good before I get back into the ring.

“To be good is not enough in boxing, if you want to be a world champion you’ve got to be great.

“Throughout the last year or so, especially my last fight I was good but not great.

“To be a champion you gotta be ‘on your s***’ basically and I need to step my game up.”