Anthony Joshua is plotting his next move after undergoing successful elbow surgery.
The Watford powerhouse was knocked out by Daniel Dubois last September at Wembley Stadium and has been sidelined ever since.
The plan was for AJ to box again this summer, however, an injury to his elbow left him unable to resume full training.
Luckily, that issue has since been resolved under the knife, and Joshua is now on track to return to the ring at the back end of 2025.
“He’s had the operation, which went very well, and now he’s just sort of rehabbing it,” Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told BoxingScene.
“I believe about six weeks till he can punch again properly, and that kind of lends itself to a September, October, November fight.
“That gives us a chance to see what happens with Dubois against Usyk.
“That gives us a chance to see if Mr. Fury will ever return, and maybe something else.
“But he’s definitely fighting this year and looking forward to it.”
It seems unlikely Joshua will face the winner of Oleksandr Usyk vs Dubois, with WBO interim title holder Joseph Parker lying in wait.
Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether Tyson Fury will ever fight again.
‘The Gypsy King’ hung up his gloves in January after suffering a second consecutive defeat to Usyk.
In recent weeks, he had teased the idea of reversing his retirement.
However, he put an end to the speculation over the weekend by insisting he will ‘stay retired’.
“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what?” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy.
“What would I return for? More belts? I’ve won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.
“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I’ve done, what I have achieved and what I have accomplished.
“I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.
“I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.
“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.
“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”
Boxing fans have been clamouring to see the Brits lock horns for the best part of a decade.
Even if the bout is five years past its sell-by date, it remains the biggest fight in British boxing.
And regardless of where Fury’s head is at, Joshua is still holding out hope that the blockbuster showdown will happen in the not-so-distant future.
Taking to Snapchat on Saturday, he wrote: “One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually.”
