EDDIE HEARN admits Anthony Joshua could be back in action as early as "December" – despite being deep in talks over a 2024 grudge match with Deontay Wilder.
Negotiations over the duo's long-overdue grudge match began before Joshua's axed domestic dust-up with Dillian Whyte last month.
Talks over the January joust resumed after Joshua obliterated short-notice replacement Robert Helenius but have ground to a halt due to Wilder's eagerness to have a warm-up fight.
And the potential delay could lead to a third outing of the year for the poster boy of British boxing.
When pressed on the negotiations, Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn told The DAZN Boxing Show: “It’s slow, I won’t lie.
“Obviously, it’s a massive fight and these things take time.
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"Everything is kind of agreed other than the signing of the paperwork.
"We know that takes time, especially in that part of the world.
“For me, the biggest concern is AJ wants to fight in December or January, we know the Wilder fight is not going to happen in December so we’re happy to wait until January.
"But if that fight starts pushing back to February or March, don’t be surprised if he still signs for that fight but has another one in between."
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Despite being desperate to face Wilder next, Hearn admits a tick-over fight is something Joshua would welcome.
He said: "He’s loving the activity at the moment.
“He’s loving being in training camp, he’s loving working with Derrick James.
"But our full focus is to sign the Deontay Wilder fight.
"I’m not disappointed but we want to get it done.
"The conversations have to extend to [Oleksandr] Usyk and [Tyson] Fury, they could be on the same card – who knows?
"So there’s a lot of conversations to be had. I truly believe that Wilder is up for and ready for this fight. We’re in a good place."
Joshua's explosive victory over Helenius was his second straight win since his back-to-back losses to former pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk.
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