Anthony Joshua drops retirement bombshell with 'final' message

Anthony Joshua has hinted that 2025 could be his final year as a professional boxer. The British boxing star has not fought since last September and is set to return to the ring before the end of the year.

Joshua suffered an agonising knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium. It looked likely that the pair would face off in an immediate rematch, but 'AJ' suffered some minor injuries in the initial encounter which meant he needed more time to recover.

The 35-year-old has recently undergone a successful operation on his elbow amid talks of a potential return to the ring over the next few months. There has been plenty of talk as to who Joshua's opponent will be, but as of yet, nothing has been officially confirmed.

While there are still many intriguing match-ups for the Brit, Joshua has sensationally admitted that this year could be his last as a boxer. The two-time heavyweight world champion paid tribute to his promotional team Matchroom Boxing - who have managed him since his professional debut in 2013 - on Friday night, stating that his 'last punch' will be thrown this year.

READ MORE: Mike Tyson, Jake Paul and John Fury - Butterbean's three-fight wishlist emerges

READ MORE: Daniel Dubois disrespected Oleksandr Usyk and must make tough decisions for boxing comeback

"Shout to Matchroom Boxing for all you have done for me and continue to do for me," Joshua wrote. "Long may you reign supreme and keep giving fighters opportunities to become champions and make boxing great. 12 years ago, I signed with you and 12 years later I will throw my last punch with you.

"Royalty and loyalty is a perfect match for the great good. A toast to another 100 years of Matchroom Boxing And to finish on this… If I could start from scratch, I wouldn’t change s***." Joshua's comments come just weeks after his promoter, Eddie Hearn, revealed that his star client is targeting two fights with Tyson Fury before calling it a day at the end of 2026.

Speaking on the , he said: "Dillian Whyte was probably the frontrunner, to be honest with you. Now it looks like he's going to fight Moses - so that was a curveball. Jared Anderson's been mentioned, obviously Deontay Wilder's back soon. I think AJ would have been out the ring just over a year by the time he steps back into the ring. He will be coming off surgery, I don't think (Tyson) Fury's going to be ready to fight around that time anyway. But I expect it to be someone to gear him up for a really big fight in 2026. And probably, 2026 will be his last year in the sport."

He added: "It's probably three fights away. For me, if I'm advising AJ, we're back this year, we have two Tyson Fury fights, what else is there to do? Maybe fight a Daniel Dubois, but for me once AJ fights Tyson Fury, he's kind of done it all. I'd love him to have another crack at Daniel Dubois and I'd love him to have another crack at Usyk but you just keep going on and on and on. Now, if we get to next year and he's still firing on all cylinders then 2026 won't be his last year. But for me, something feels right about coming back this year, beating Tyson Fury twice and then sailing off into the sunset."

When is Anthony Joshua's next fight?

Joshua is expected to make his return to the ring before the end of the year. Eddie Hearn has recently revealed that 'AJ' is now looking to move on with his career after continuously calling for a fight with Fury, but still hopes to one day settle the score with the 'Gypsy King' before calling it a day.

In an interview with Sky Sports, when asked about the future of Joshua, Hearn replied: "Yeah, good, he had that operation recently... that elbow surgery, which went very well. You will see him return in October, November or December. We're looking for that opponent in the top ten. Deontay Wilder I think fights next week.