Eddie Hearn expects to see a "reinvigorated" Anthony Joshua this year after taking on a new trainer.

The former heavyweight champion has not fought since suffering defeat in a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk in August, which left the 2012 Olympic gold medallist with three defeats in his past five bouts.

With a clash against Tyson Fury not materialising, Joshua is on the hunt for an opponent for a targeted date of April 1 and will partner with a new trainer for the next stage in his career.

The 33-year-old parted ways with long-term trainer Rob McCracken following the first defeat to Usyk, taking on Robert Garcia for the rematch, and will now undergo a training camp in the United States ahead of his return to the ring.

Though still yet to be announced, Derrick James is reported to be the man Joshua has taken on as trainer, and Hearn believes a change from his usual surroundings in England is the right move.

"April 1 is our targeted date in London. I'll go through the final list of opponents. We're almost ready. He's excited," Hearn told DAZN.

"I'm happy with the trainer. I'm happy with anyone who makes AJ feel comfortable, motivated, and excited. I think this is going to be a nice break.

"The problem is being in the UK, he can't breathe. When he goes to America, people know who he is, but it's like a different world.

"I think it's going to be really good for him. I think you're going to see a reinvigorated Anthony Joshua."

Anthony Joshua's camp are in discussions regarding a bout against Otto Wallin, the Swedish fighter's promoter has said.

Joshua seen his stock in the heavyweight division take a significant dip following back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, leaving the Brit with only two wins from his past five bouts.

However, Joshua continues to be linked with top-tier opponents, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder among them, but taking on Wallin is set to be his next challenge.

Dmitriy Salita, who represents Wallin, believes the correct approach would be for Joshua to face his client, with the winner then going on to face either Fury - who is expected to meet in Usyk in an undisputed fight.

"I had discussions with Eddie [Hearn] about Otto for a significant amount of time and as late as last week," he told the Sun.

"From what I understand it's really up to AJ. I believe he wants to place himself back in the heavyweight picture.

"Both Otto and AJ want a shot at Fury. By the numbers Otto landed more punches on Fury then anyone else ever.

"I believe the winner of that fight will have legitimate claim to challenge Fury probably after his fight with Oleksandr Usyk."

A bout with Dillian Whyte has been touted as the next test for Joshua but that proposal has been slammed by Salita.

Salita.would instead prefer the Brit to face a rematch with Jermaine Franklin after a majority decision for Whyte at Wembley last month.

"Whyte is 1-2 and in reality 1-3 in his last four fights. A fight with Joshua would be something like Roy Jones vs Mike Tyson or Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor, big names but not much behind it at this point," he added.

"Even if it's not against Jermaine, Whyte needs an impressive showing against someone credible to show that he still got the skills to pay the bills at an elite heavyweight level.

"He had four wins after that including Dominic Breazeale and Travis Kauffman, both credible at time of his victory. Otto is number three in the WBO and is a bona fide top heavyweight in the world.

"There have been lots of big names thrown around with Joshua including Tyson and Wilder. How serious that is will depend on who he fights next."

Tyson Fury conceded a fight with Oleksandr Usyk or Anthony Joshua in 2023 appears unlikely after detailing his plans for next year's schedule.

WBC champion Fury will defend his title at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday against Derek Chisora, who has lost twice already against the 34-year-old.

Chisora comes in as somewhat of a replacement clash for Fury after the 'Gypsy King' repeatedly declared his desire to face Usyk or Joshua.

While the unbeaten Fury still seeks an undisputed heavyweight bout with Usyk or an all-British showdown with Joshua, he conceded both fights remain a pipe dream at present.

"Probably not, because they are all bums, we will see," Fury told Sky Sports when asked about the two potential clashes.

"I am not going to count my chickens at all, but we will find out next year what will happen.

"If you see me in Antarctica doing a fight, you know I am on my bum-a-month campaign."

Instead, Fury – perhaps somewhat in jest – claimed he intends to fight around the globe in 2023 as he prepares to discuss his plans with promoter Frank Warren.

"I think I would like to do 12 fights next year, do like a bum-a-month campaign all over the world," he added.

"I am going to sit down with Frank Warren after this fight and see what we can do, see if we can do a bum-a-month campaign and go to random places and fight someone.

"Go to India, go to China, go to Australia, go to Indonesia, go to Africa, just fight local people. You have a heavyweight guy there? Yeah, let's fight him.

"Have a chance to fight for the World Championship like Rocky did in Apollo."

Tyson Fury says it would be "an absolute dying travesty" if he does not fight Anthony Joshua before he hangs up his gloves for good.

The WBC heavyweight champion has been touted for a match-up with his fellow Briton for a number of years, only to see each attempt to set up a bout fall short.

A fight looked closer than ever earlier this year before another breakdown in negotiations, leaving Fury instead to set up another fight with Derek Chisora next month.

Though Fury has retired, or indicated he would quit, multiple times before, the 34-year-old now says he will not depart from the sport before he fights his rival.

"I don't think I can retire today," he told The High Performance podcast. "Because I need that Joshua fight. We have been trying to make that fight for years.

"It's the fight that people want to see. It's the fight that I want to see as a boxing fan. 

"I think it would be an absolute dying travesty if me and Joshua didn't fight in this era."

Elsewhere, Fury spoke about the fresh wave of talent in the heavyweight division, led by Oleksandr Usyk, that has emerged around him, and how he sometimes wonders whether he still has the fight in him.

"For the last four or five years, there has been this three-headed monster: me, [Deontay] Wilder, Joshua," he added.

"Joshua and Wilder have been slain, and I'm the last one standing.

"All of a sudden, you've got some new people coming up now - Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois, and Usyk's gate-crashed the party.

"Now there's a load of new blood that wasn't there five years ago and it's like, 'Can you beat this person?'."

Fury will fight Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.

Anthony Joshua acknowledged he needed to "rest mentally" after being "torn apart" by his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, though he vowed he will eventually face Tyson Fury.

A 'Battle of Britain' clash between Joshua and Fury seemed set for December 3 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, only to for the bout to break down after negotiations collapsed.

The meeting between the two British heavyweights would have followed Joshua's rematch loss to Usyk, who successfully defended his WBA, IBF and WBO belts in August's title match in Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua suggested he will meet in the ring with Fury at some point, the former admitted he needed time off after a draining defeat to the Ukrainian.

"You saw after my last fight, it tore me apart," Joshua said in an interview with DAZN.

"I had so much riding on it, for me, the British fans, the undisputed fight, it just really tore me apart. So from a mental capacity, my close ones are telling me, 'you should rest mentally'.

"Physically, I'm down to fight. I'm a warrior, I like this game, I like competing. But on a mental aspect, I think people have really seen it means a lot.

"I was supposed to be in the ring on December 3. When you're saying, 'when are we going to see you back in the ring?' that was the date but obviously it's not happening. 

"But I've got a good team and I've got to just leave certain things to them because all that other stuff, back and forth and social media, it's quite time-consuming. But you've got to play the game as well.

"And my dance partner, the last geezer I was supposed to fight (Fury), he's a good dance partner, he handles the social media side and I think we do good business behind the scenes to be fair.  

"It will happen, we’re in the same era. Just as two competitors, two fighters. He's definitely someone that's a fighting man."

Joshua is yet to confirm his next opponent after failing to agree a deal with Fury, who settled for another all-British fight with Derek Chisora at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 3.

Eddie Hearn was not concerned by the failure to secure Anthony Joshua a fight against Tyson Fury, and named Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder as potential opponents for Joshua in 2023.

Discussions between Joshua and Fury regarding a December 3 bout collapsed earlier this month, with promoters on both sides publicly blaming each other for the breakdown in a deal.

It was the second time a proposed 'Battle of Britain' fight between the two had fallen through, having previously agreed to face one another in Saudi Arabia last year before Fury was ordered to honour his rematch with Wilder.

While a second collapse of the fight was disappointing for boxing fans, Hearn conceded he always felt it was not the right move to make.

"I don't sit here today, as someone who represents Anthony Joshua, devastated that fight didn't happen," he told Talksport.

"He wanted to take it, so I was all in, but it was a very quick turnaround for him in a fight of that magnitude."

While Fury will return to the ring in December, facing Derek Chisora in a trilogy bout at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joshua is unlikely to fight until the first quarter of 2023, with Hearn naming Whyte and Wilder as potential opponents next year.

"I think he's going to fight [in] January or February, early next year. I think the fight you'll see is Dillian Whyte against Anthony Joshua," he added.

"Wilder is [also] definitely a fight for 2023. He's got to fight Andy Ruiz Jr in a final eliminator for the WBC, which is a tremendous fight.

"I think AJ vs Wilder might just be the biggest fight in boxing, you only need the edge of your seat to watch that fight. It's super dangerous and someone's going to sleep, but it's two fast, explosive, huge punching, heavyweight machines.

"I think you'll see either Wilder or Fury against AJ next year, but I think you'll definitely see the Dillian Whyte fight if he can get through Jermaine Franklin."

Whyte is due to face Franklin in London on November 23.

Although Tyson Fury's proposed bout with Anthony Joshua appears to be dead in the water, the latter remains in the WBC heavyweight champion's head.

That is according to Fury's next opponent, Derek Chisora.

The Gypsy King will defend his title against Chisora on December 3 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what will be the third fight between the pair.

Fury beat Chisora when they first met in 2011, before also defeating him almost eight years ago.

A deal recently seemed to have been reached for Fury to face Joshua, with both parties appearing optimistic about contracts being signed.

However, after missing a deadline imposed by Fury, the champion's camp called negotiations off and instead turned attention to a bout against Chisora.

Despite being the new contender, Chisora has claimed Fury is unable to take his focus off Joshua, and defended AJ's decision not to sign the deal.

"AJ is living in Tyson's head rent-free," Chisora said. "Tyson wakes up every day thinking about AJ and cannot do an interview without mentioning AJ.

"AJ is off living his life, doing his own thing. I don't know why Tyson keeps talking about AJ.

"AJ could not take the fight because there were so many complications with sponsors and promoters.

"The fighters always want to fight, just fight, but the complications come from the business people around them who get in the way."

Deontay Wilder has reiterated his desire to face off against Anthony Joshua, which he believes remains the "number one fight in the world".

The Bronze Bomber has not fought since defeat to Tyson Fury in Las Vegas last year but makes his return to the ring on Saturday against the 31-3 Robert Helenius in Brooklyn.

Wilder's return to the ring is the start of a journey he hopes will lead him back to the heavyweight belts, held by Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, but he also harbours aspirations of fighting Joshua.

A bout between Wilder and Joshua would have previously been an encounter between the two top-ranked heavyweights across the globe but the pair's standing has taken a hit following their back-to-back losses against Fury and Usyk respectively.

Despite that, Wilder is adamant that a clash is still the number one draw for boxing fans and wants to bring the fight to Africa.

"I would love to do that fight in Africa. It's still the number one fight in the world for everyone. Everywhere I go, people always talk about me versus Joshua," he told BBC Sport.

"We both have roots from there.I think it would be an amazing place to have it, to go back home.

"To go back to the motherland. A continent full of our people. I can just see that being an amazing fight, win, lose or draw.

"I think we'll get the respect and love from all the people over there."

Joshua and Wilder were previously in discussions for what would have been an undisputed bout in 2019 and 2020, while AJ has recently seen talks for a fight with Fury collapse as the pair were unable to agree to terms.

Wilder foresees no similar issues in discussions with the Brit though, adding: "We're serious and we just need them to be serious as well. We tried to make the fight and it didn't happen. It's a new day and time. All things are possible."

Tyson Fury's promoter Frank Warren revealed the 'Gypsy King' is set to face Derek Chisora for a third time in December after talks over a bout with Anthony Joshua broke down.

Fury U-turned on a decision to retire following April's win over Dillian Whyte and appeared set to meet Joshua after offering him the chance for a WBC heavyweight championship fight last month.

Warren said that fight was "90 per cent" finalised in mid-September, but talks have since broken down, with Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn declaring he would not "play a game" with Fury last week.

With Oleksandr Usyk prepared to wait until 2023 for his next fight, Fury now appears set for a trilogy bout with Chisora, whom he defeated in July 2011 and November 2014.

Asked about the breakdown in talks with Joshua's camp, Warren told iFL TV: "Obviously that caused a big problem, it went on for three or four weeks and we've been struggling to get an opponent. 

"We've got the highest-ranked opponent now, which is Derek Chisora. That's where we'll be going and that will be on December 3.

"What it's all about is, Tyson will have had one fight in one year, and we were expecting the fight in December would be Usyk, but Usyk wasn't available.

"Now that looks like – I hope – going on at some time in February, so Tyson wants a fight before then and wants to get out, that's where we're at. If he fights Chisora and comes through that, then he's got the big one.

"Tyson's head and shoulders above them all anyway. Derek might give him more of a fight than Anthony Joshua – I'm not being disrespectful, I just think he [AJ] is more vulnerable."

While the fight is yet to be formally agreed, Fury has long desired another meeting with Chisora, saying in August: "I'd always said I'd fight Derek Chisora at the end of my career, and here we are, breaking all records again, setting precedents."

The breakdown of an all-British heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury is down to the former's promoter Eddie Hearn, claims Bob Arum.

A bout between the two - both world champions at varying points in their career - looked to be on the rocks last week after Fury repeatedly issued deadlines to sign a contract for a December 3 date.

Earlier this week, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn admitted the fight looked dead in the water for now after negotiations collapsed.

And Fury's promoter Arum claims it was his opposite number who is to blame for the turn of events, claiming he "sabotaged" any potential deal.

"He wanted to kill it because even as late as [Monday], if he'd have said let's all get together and sit in a room and get everything finalised, it could have been done in a couple of hours," Arum told Sky Sports.

"He didn't want the fight to happen from the get-go, so he slow-played it.

"I've been in this business almost 60 years, so I can tell when somebody doesn't want something to happen and then slow-plays a negotiation.

"I knew that Eddie would find a way to sabotage the fight. He has nothing left really in his stable and he is clinging to AJ as his only potential attraction."

Fury's consistent public demands for an agreement have seen him criticised for apparently attempting to backtrack out of any fight, but Arum refutes any suggestion he is to blame.

"Tyson Fury is Tyson Fury," Arum added. 

"He hasn't been trained in law school so he wants a fight, if he's imposing deadlines which aren't really deadlines because he's sending a message, get off your asses and get this thing done.

"It was clear that was the case. So, nobody should be blamed for this fight not happening, not Tyson, not AJ, not anybody else other than Eddie Hearn."

Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua's proposed fight with Tyson Fury will not go ahead as things stand, insisting he will not "play a game" with the WBC heavyweight champion.

Fury initially offered Joshua the chance of a December bout last month, with Hearn subsequently revealing positive talks had been held with the Gypsy King's team.

However, Fury then set Joshua's representatives a deadline of September 26 to get the fight signed off, and declared discussions were "officially over" when that was not met.

Last week, Hearn told Sky Sports he was "baffled" by Fury's antics, adding: "we'll see what happens from here".

Hearn now appears convinced the fight will not take place, and has hit out at Fury for repeatedly insulting Joshua on social media.  

"As far as we're concerned, the fight's off. We're happy to continue the discussions," Hearn said in an interview with Matchroom Boxing.

"In our mind, he's not fighting Anthony Joshua. We're more than happy to continue those conversations, but what we've been told is the deadline has passed, and so have the entire country.

"We have sent the final version of the contract back, they've come back with points and we were told that the fight is off by the man himself.

"They gave us terms, ultimately, and a date they thought we wouldn't accept. We did accept that. We were ready to go. 

"If they were to sign the contract on Monday [September 26], they had a fight. We were asked to agree the deal by Monday, then we were asked to agree it by Wednesday. 

"We got the comments back on Wednesday. We were never going to sign the fight [then], and we were told the fight's off.

"It's still there. It's still open for discussion. But we're not going to play a game with a bloke that's just coming out telling AJ it's off, and then that he's a 'dosser', that he's got to sign it, etc.

"Have your fight if you fight someone else, and we'll do our thing and we'll see what happens."

Tyson Fury's co-promoter Frank Warren has accused Anthony Joshua's camp of radio silence, stating they have "bent over backwards" in pursuit of an agreement.

The saga surrounding the 'Battle of Britain' bout on December 3 rumbles on without an apparent conclusion, after Fury issued his rival a deadline of Monday to sign a contract before he walked away.

Joshua failed to do that, leading Fury to close the door on a bout, but he handed an olive branch to his compatriot once again on Thursday, though made it clear a verdict would need to be reached before the end of the day.

On AJ's side, Eddie Hearn has said he was 'baffled' by Fury's behaviour and dubbed the deadlines as 'unrealistic' but Fury's camp have a contrasting view, claiming they are not getting any responses.

"We've done all that's necessary with BT, ESPN and DAZN. They're all happy. We gave them a contract. They've had it for two weeks and it hasn't come back yet," he told TalkSport.

"Ticketing and the venue is ready to go. We've agreed transparency with them. Everything in the pot. Everything they needed, co-promotion, the lot – we've bent over backwards. We've not had anything back.

"I had a bet with Tyson that we'd get it done in the next few days. He said 'no, Joshua doesn't want the fight'. I've lost the bet. Joshua said he wanted the fight, so let's get it done. I don't understand this."

Fury has consistently made it clear he will fight in December regardless of the opponent, having stepped back into contention after announcing his retirement after defeating Dillian Whyte at Wembley in April.

If a fight against Joshua does not materialise, Mahmoud Charr stands as the most likely opponent for Fury after he took to social media on Thursday to verbally accept a proposal to face the German.

"Mahmoud Charr, it seems now that AJ is finally out, he's ducked his way out, coward, and you're the man who wants to fight, so I like that," he said on an Instagram video.

"I like the fact you're very vocal and you're calling for a fight like a man should do. Any man who wants to fight a man should call him out as you've been doing to me. So I accept your challenge Mahmoud Charr, let's get it on."

Eddie Hearn has slammed Tyson Fury for his antics in the ongoing discussions for a bout against Anthony Joshua, saying he has been left "baffled by the situation".

Fury had initially set Joshua a deadline of Monday to sign the contract for a December 3 bout and said discussions were "officially over" after the paperwork was not received.

However, the WBC heavyweight champion then backtracked on Thursday and issued his compatriot another deadline for the 'Battle of Britain' bout, giving him until the end of the day to agree terms.

An imminent end to the saga seems unlikely, however, with Joshua's promoter Hearn questioning why the Gypsy King was setting "unrealistic deadlines".

"I don't want to get involved with back and forths that are going to negatively impact this fight being made, but to be honest, we are quite baffled by the situation," he told Sky Sports.

"Firstly, when we agreed terms for the fight, it took us over a week to receive a draft contract. We have not had that contract for 14 days.

"Over the next week, we've worked tirelessly and had a number of meetings with Queensberry to get the contract in some kind of decent shape. Last Monday, we sent our final draft of the contract to Queensberry, only to see that Tyson Fury had publicly pulled out of the fight and it was no longer on the table.

"Yesterday we then received comments back from Queensberry on our final draft of the agreement, of which is now being reviewed.

"I'm not sure why Tyson Fury keeps setting unrealistic deadlines whilst also offering the fight to a number of other heavyweights for the selected date. If he is serious about the fight being made, I suggest he allows Matchroom and Queensberry to keep working hard to make the fight, of which everyone has been trying hard to do.

"You can't publicly keep pulling out of a fight and then restart negotiations when there has been so many positive conversations had. We'll see what happens from here."

Tyson Fury has backtracked on his decision to rule out a December bout with Anthony Joshua after giving his rival until the end of Thursday to agree terms.

WBC champion Fury opened the door for a 'Battle of Britain' with Joshua last month after it became clear a unification bout against Oleksandr Usyk would not occur this year.

After weeks of talks between the fighters' camps, however, Fury said on Monday any chance of the pair meeting was "officially over" after his self-imposed deadline was not met.

But Fury set Joshua, who has lost three of his past five fights, a new deadline in his latest video message on social media that was directed at the two-time world champion.

"My promoter Frank Warren convinced me to let Queensberry [Warren's company] carry on negotiating with your team this week, despite me knowing you were never going to do this fight," Fury said.

"So the deadline was Monday. I allowed Frank to continue doing meetings with your team and your broadcasters and all that."

Fury said the broadcasters were "all on the same page".

"They are happy with everything, they are all ready to rock and roll," he added.

"You guys ask for a lot of stuff. You want to be co-promoters when you're a voluntary challenger. Guess what, I said give it them, let them be co-promoters.

"You wanted full transparency, even though you're not an equal shareholder in this party. You know what I said? Give them full transparency, I've got nothing to hide.

"I'm not trying to rob anybody, I've not robbed anybody of a penny in my life. Now you've got full transparency, everything is clean and fair. Joshua, the ball is really in your court."

Fury revealed earlier this month that he has offered Joshua a 60-40 purse split in a bid to get the heavyweight title fight made after years of build-up.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week an initial contract offer sent by Fury's camp was not acceptable, but the parties were "working positively" to reach an agreement.

That led to Fury making his ultimatum to Joshua to sign the contract by Monday or forget about a fight, which had been set to be held in Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

"Everybody is done," Fury added in his Twitter post. "If you're a man, and if you've got any sort of dignity and pride about you, you'll get this contract signed today. This is it.

"There is no more days, weeks, months, you've had the contract now for over two weeks and you still haven't signed it.

"Show the public that you're really the big coward that I know you are, and don't sign it. I don't care either way if you sign it or you don't, it makes no difference to me at all.

"You're a beaten man and I'm a world champion. I'm chucking you a massive bone, but I know I can punch a face in so I'm willing to give you an opportunity.

"There's nothing more to do, everyone is happy. Get your team onto mine, they will be available all day, like they've been available the last two weeks. Get this contract signed!

"Let the British fans have what they want. There is no running, you have to fight me. You cannot escape. The Fury is coming."

WBC champion Tyson Fury believes fellow Brit Joe Joyce is "the second-best heavyweight in the world" and suggested the two could meet in the ring in the future.

Joyce's stunning 11th-round knockout victory over Joseph Parker at the weekend led to talk of him fighting the likes of Fury and Anthony Joshua.

Parker had not been stopped in his 32 previous bouts, despite defeats to heavy-handed fighters such as Joshua and Dillian Whyte, and Joyce's win certainly impressed Fury.

"I've had a lovely day of watching boxing and watching all the big fights and studying all the heavyweights," Fury said in a video on Twitter.

"And I've got to say that big Joe Joyce is the second-best heavyweight in the world, behind myself.

"I've just looked at these prospects who are mandatory for the world title, Zhang [Zhilei] and [Filip] Hrgovic and everybody else. I've changed my mind and I think big Joe Joyce is number two heavyweight in the world."

Fury initially claimed to be retired after stopping Whyte inside six rounds at Wembley in April, but has since been rumoured to be in talks to fight the likes of Dereck Chisora and Manuel Charr.

The undisputed fight with Oleksandr Usyk is on hold until 2023, with the IBF, WBA and WBO champion needing time to recover from injuries after beating Joshua in their rematch in Saudi Arabia.

Fury himself has been involved in a public spat with Joshua, but it appears any plans for those two to fight later in 2022 are over after Joshua failed to meet Fury's deadline for signing the contracts.

And Fury has not ruled out facing Joyce in future, adding: "Who knows if he's number one? One day we'll have to find out who's better out of me and him.

"But at the moment I'm ruling the roost because I'm world heavyweight champion and he's not."