Anthony Joshua ‘can’t punch properly’ after sustaining mysterious injury
Anthony Joshua has sustained a mysterious injury to the 'top half of his body' ahead of his return to action this summer.
The Watford powerhouse was knocked out by Daniel Dubois last September in a shocking upset at Wembley Stadium and hasn't boxed since.
Hearn told marvelbet369.com last month that the long-awaited all-British showdown with Tyson Fury and a rematch against Dubois are the two top options for his client while Joseph Parker, Deontay Wilder and Martin Bakole remain outsiders.
However, Joshua is unable to resume full training after picking up an injury that has left him 'unable to punch properly'.
Hearn insists the issue will keep AJ out of camp for eight weeks, but wouldn't reveal the exact injury he suffered.
"Top-half of his body, there you go," he said when asked for further details.
READ MORE ON BOXING
“Nothing major but it means that he's been returning to training and it's not quite ready to turn back to camp.
"For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks.
"There are always niggles and he had a few so physically it's just a case of whether AJ is ready to do that."
Before losing to Dubois, Joshua was riding a four-fight winning streak.
He bounced back from consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 and August 2022 to beat Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius in a pair of low-output affairs.
His tentative performances left a lot to be desired but he showed the AJ of old in spiteful stoppage wins over Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou thereafter.
He entered the Dubois fight in his best form in years and was made the favourite by the bookies.