Former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua seems to be eager for action. However, the most talked-about opponent for Joshua, former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, doesn’t appear to be in the mood to play ball. This has forced Team ‘AJ’ to look elsewhere for a dance partner, which is shaping up to be a former world champion. Who?

Deontay Wilder, of course. ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is slated to make his return to the ring after a year-long hiatus since losing a brutal 5th-round knockout to Zhilei Zhang. The 39-year-old, who has been in a decline since losing two fights to Tyson Fury, will square off against 24-5 Tyrrell Anthony Herndon of San Antonio, Texas. But this begs the question–what’s that condition Joshua has put on Wilder for a fight?

According to a May 28th report from ESPN, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, Anthony Joshua’s promoter, said, “He’ll only fight once this year.” Joshua hasn’t fought since losing to Daniel Dubois late last year. “He’ll be good to go in the middle of September,” Hearn added. The Matchroom Boss is also hoping to confirm whether Fury would consider coming out of retirement by then for one last fight.

Despite the hype surrounding the all-British fight against Joshua, Tyson Fury insists that he will remain in retirement even though he has reversed such decisions in the past for mega fights. “And by then, we will know for sure if Fury is going to return or not,” Hearn said. He also added that they are looking out for the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs. Daniel Dubois, scheduled for July 19th at Wembley Stadium.

However, given September is just two months away, the winner won’t likely face Joshua next. Regardless, Hearn claimed Wilder is also in consideration, but there’s one condition. “If Wilder comes back and looks sensational, we’ll probably start talking about it again. I don’t rule it out,” Hearn told ESPN. In the meantime, Anthony Joshua will get his body right. 

Anthony Joshua shares a contrasting return date from Eddie Hearn

Anthony Joshua’s long-awaited return to the ring will have to wait for now, as the former two-time heavyweight champion revealed he will undergo minor elbow surgery this month. Speaking to DAZN’s Claudia Trejos while attending Canelo Alvarez’s fight in Saudi Arabia, Joshua said, “I’ve got to actually have a little surgery on my elbow, a small surgery, sometime in May. We’re just finalizing the details.”

The procedure will sideline him for at least six to eight weeks, pushing his next fight to October at the earliest, contrasting Hearn’s claim that Joshua would be ready in September. “I’ll be out of the gym for maybe six to eight weeks, and then when I’m healed, I’ll be back,” Joshua added. It’s also worth mentioning that Hearn previously claimed that Joshua had suffered an “upper body” injury, causing a delay since his loss to Dubois. 

That said, it appears fans may get to see Anthony Joshua return to the ring soon, but whether that will be in September or October is yet to be seen. Do you think Wilder will make a strong comeback? Will Fury come out of retirement? And can Wilder beat Joshua?