Eddie Hearn reveals reason behind Anthony Joshua's postponed return

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua's next fight has been postponed for time to work with Derrick James.

'AJ' returned to the boxing ring earlier this month in London. The bout was his first since his split-decision defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last August, and was also his first under a new trainer. Following the loss to 'The Cat', Joshua dropped Robert Garcia in favor of Houston's James.

In his first fight with the Texas-based trainer, it didn't go quite the way fans expected. In the 12-round DAZN headliner, Joshua and Jermaine Franklin traded singular shots for the duration of the contest. Neither man did much in the way of activity, and the Brit wound up getting the nod by unanimous decision.

📝 118-111, 117-111, 117-111

Back to winning ways for @anthonyjoshua - he beats Jermaine Franklin by unanimous decision in London 👊 #JoshuaFranklin https://t.co/5VEQJOlzwi

Following the win, Anthony Joshua stated his plans for a summer return. The two-time champion stated that he wanted to compete as soon as July. Possible opponents for a return include Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury.

However, earlier this week, the heavyweight revealed that his return was postponed to December. In an interview on The DAZN Boxing Show, Eddie Hearn didn't directly comment on why Joshua's return was postponed, but he did imply it.

The head of Matchroom Boxing stated:

“You’re better off being honest and saying, ‘Look, this is where we’re at.’ I need him to have another fight with a level slightly above Jermaine Franklin, gel with Derrick James, hopefully go in there with a little more confidence to prepare him for Fury or Wilder.”

Anthony Joshua next fight: Eddie Hearn names possible option

Anthony Joshua's next fight will likely be against Dillian Whyte.

In an interview with The DAZN Boxing Show, Eddie Hearn revealed that the most likely option for 'AJ's return is against 'The Body Snatcher'. Those comments are likely to disappoint some, as Joshua called to face 'The Gypsy King' after his recent win.

Nonetheless, a potential heavyweight rematch also sounds exciting. In their first outing in December 2015, Joshua scored a hellacious knockout win. Since then, Whyte has consistently called for a second clash.

Hearn noted that a rematch with Whyte remains Anthony Joshua's most likely fight. However, he did note that they have other options, stating:

“I think Dillian Whyte is a great option. It’s a dangerous fight. I think that’s a good fight. There’s other guys in the top-15... We’re not ruling [a Tyson Fury fight] out. If a big offer comes in or a big site comes in [we will take the fight right away]."

An absolute slugfest for the British heavyweight title 🇬🇧

Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte went toe-to-toe on this day in 2015 😤 https://t.co/hKI5ul3L9K