Connect with us

Boxing

Eddie Hearn: Anthony Joshua is unlikely to fight in 2025

Published

on

Copy Link

Anthony Joshua is unlikely to fight in 2025, with his February return currently the most likely option, promoter Eddie Hearn told ESPN.

Hearn has previously said there is a possibility that Joshua – who has not fought since defeat to Daniel Dubois last September – could return this year, but as time passes and the schedule fills up, it is likely that AJ will fight again in early 2026, potentially at a major event in Africa.

“Right now, the more likely scenario is to return in February,” Hearn told ESPN.

“I mean, the most crucial thing is that he’s back in full training camp now [but] leave in December, delivery is very brisk.

“I’m not ruling it out completely, but… there’s training, and then there’s training before the date, and if that date comes in December, he’ll have to find out soon.”

If he returns in 2026, it will be the first time in his career that Joshua has not fought in a calendar year.

Hearn said that in an ideal world, Joshua would return as the co-main event on another card, but admitted that might be challenging given his superstar status.

“He will fight in February, whether it is his second fight or his first fight,” Hearn said.

“It seems like every time he fights, he has to go and fight in this huge stadium and he always puts up a pretty tough fight. It would be nice if this fight was over so you could just wrap your arms around it and just get back into the rhythm.”

“But unfortunately in this respect he is a victim of his own success.”

The next move is crucial for Joshua, who still wants to fight Tyson Fury next year.

Hearn said only Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, was able to strike a deal with Fury.

“Our deal [with Alalshikh] what hasn’t been done is pretty close. We will do a deal but it won’t make any difference if Fury isn’t there,” Hearn said.

“The only person who will make this fight is Turki Alalshikh. That is the reality because the amount of money Tyson Fury would pay and the way this deal has to be done makes him perfectly prepared and prepared to fight this fight.

“So once he does our deal, all he has to do is do a second deal and he’ll be ready, and you’ll support him every time to get that deal done.”

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Boxing

Tyson Fury doubts whether the judges will give him victory over Oleksandr Usyk

Published

on

Image: Usyk's Coach Disputes Referee's Standing Eight Count for Fury

“I won the third fight,” Fury told Gareth A. Davies. “But the thing is, I know if he gets up at the end of the fight, I’m not going to make a decision. For me, it’s like, I might as well give him the fight before we even start boxing. Give him a W and I’ll give him an L.”

Usyk defeated Fury twice in 2024 in hard-fought championship fights that decided the undisputed heavyweight title. The Ukrainian’s victories transformed the division and left Fury trying to rebuild momentum in the final stage of his career.

When the discussion turned to the scoring of these fights, Fury made it clear that he still viewed the outcome differently from the official verdicts.

“And like I said, I thought I won that fight,” Fury said. “But you know what he did? That’s someone else’s opinion again.”

Fury’s comments suggest that from his perspective the debate surrounding these fights remains unresolved. Instead of treating the defeats as decisive setbacks, the former champion still doubts whether a third meeting would have produced a different outcome on the scorecards.

This lingering doubt keeps the trilogy discussion alive even as the heavyweight landscape moves forward with other matchups. Fury has talked about returning to winning form and then fighting main fights again, but his comments show that the controversy surrounding Usyk’s decision has not abated.

For Fury, the conclusion remains the same: if he doesn’t stop Usyk, he doubts the judges would award him the victory.

Continue Reading

Boxing

The 0-40 with 36 KO heavyweight division returns under a up-to-date name, now 0-43

Published

on

Boxing record graphic for Alexis Rafael Castillo Sanchez, also known as Alexis de la Cruz Shephard, showing a 0-43 record

World Boxing News first reported on Dominican fighter Alexis Rafael Castillo Sanchez after he set one of the most remarkable records in current boxing by losing his first 40 professional fights, 36 of them by knockout.

At that point, it seemed like the story was over. Castillo Sanchez’s career appeared to be over in 2018 after a long string of losses that spanned over a decade in the sport.

However, official fight records show that the boxer later returned to the ring under a completely different name in his 40s.

Since then, Castillo Sanchez has competed as Alexis de la Cruz Shephard, adding three more attacks to improve a record that was 0-40 when the case was first reviewed by WBN.

All three bouts ended in consecutive stoppage defeats, bringing the overall score to 0-43, with 39 losses by knockout.

For two of these latter defeats, there are no confirmed match stoppage details in the official records, meaning the exact moment or method of the knockout was never formally documented.

Name change

The change makes the situation even more unusual.

The boxer, previously known as Alexis Rafael Castillo Sanchez, has appeared on recent fight lists as Alexis de la Cruz Shephard, which is a significant change from the name under which he was recorded earlier in his career.

World Boxing News determined the career continued after reviewing opponents’ recent records, where matching biographical details ultimately revealed the same fighter was competing again years after the original report.

Latest fights

The three additional fights occurred between 2022 and 2024, during which time Shephard was competing between the ages of 45 and 47, according to records.

In April 2022, Shephard lost by TKO to Dario Duran Gonzalez in Moncion. Four months later, he returned to Monte Plata, where he suffered another defeat in the second round against Emille Gonzalez Lopez.

His last appearance was on December 18, 2024 in Santo Domingo, where Shephard was stopped in the opening round by Omar Alexander Rivera Cerda after suffering a shoulder injury.

Each fight followed a familiar pattern from the earlier part of his career, which had already seen dozens of early finals.

An extraordinary record

When WBN first considered the case, Castillo Sanchez’s record was already distinguished by the huge number of losses due to stoppages and the length of the series.

The fighter started his career in 2007 and competed in many weight classes before finally moving up to heavyweight.

During this period, he faced a wide range of opponents, from first-time prospects to seasoned professionals, rarely lasting beyond the early rounds.

Additional fights recorded under the pseudonym Alexis de la Cruz Shephard extended this streak even further, creating one of current boxing’s strangest records.

Time will tell if his career will last beyond 0-43.


About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Continue Reading

Boxing

Rolly Romero only sees one winner in Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao 2

Published

on

Rolly Romero sees only one winner in Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao 2

WBA welterweight world champion Rolando Romero presented his prediction for Floyd Mayweather’s rematch with Manny Pacquiao.

Two pound-for-pound legends will face off at the Sphere in Las Vegason September 19, and their second meeting was the highlight of a live event on Netflix.

Their first meeting, which ended with Mayweather winning by unanimous decision, took place in 2015 and became the most lucrative boxing gala of all time.

By then, former multi-division world champions were already considered to be past their prime, and Pacquiao in particular no longer had the speed and ferocity for which he had always been known.

It must be admitted, however, that the Filipino has played eight professional matches since their first meeting, and his last assignment was in July against Mario Barrios.

And despite a nearly four-year layoff following his loss to Yordenis Ugas, Pacquiao was able to hold a controversial draw against the then-WBC welterweight champion.

Meanwhile, Mayweather hasn’t fought professionally since a 10th-round victory over Conor McGregor in 2017, but his dominant victory over “Pac Man” more than two years earlier led many to predict a similar result in the rematch.

One of them is Romero, who told “The Last Stand” podcast. that he cannot see Pacquiao, at the age of 47, making any drastic changes to his original performance.

“Floyd wins. And whatever happens, happens. It was meant to be. Whoever God wants to win, will win.”

“But what would be the difference [to] first fight? Was there really anything else Pacquiao could have had? [done]?”

Mayweather, now 49, has competed in a series of exhibition matches since his victory over McGregor, but now he is preparing to put his 50-0 record on the line.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending