Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte rematch could happen in 2023, says Eddie Hearn 

Anthony Joshua could meet a former opponent on his return to the boxing ring.

'AJ' has been out of the ring since his decision loss in his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk. 'The Cat' had defeated Joshua in their first outing nearly a year prior, taking his heavyweight titles from him in his home country.

Following the victory, the Ukrainian quickly began negotiating a unification matchup with Tyson Fury. However, after Usyk turned down the short turnaround due to a lingering injury, 'The Gypsy King' turned his attention towards Joshua.

The pair were in talks for quite a while, and it seemed that the long-awaited matchup would happen. Sadly, talks fell apart seemingly at the 11th hour, and Fury has instead signed on to face Derek Chisora in a trilogy matchup.

Since then, there has been little discussion as to when Anthony Joshua could return. Until now, anyway, as Eddie Hearn has revealed that his longtime fighter could face Dillian Whyte in a rematch next.

'The Body Snatcher' has been out of action since his knockout loss to Tyson Fury in April. Whyte and Joshua previously faced off in December 2015, with the latter winning by a seventh-round finish.

Since then, the British heavyweights have gone back and forth in the media and on social media. It seems that they might trade fists, instead of words soon.

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Anthony Joshua discusses his return

Anthony Joshua doesn't want to make any promises when it comes to a return date.

The last few years have been tough on 'AJ', to put it mildly. In 2019, he was on the wrong end of one of the biggest upsets in boxing history to Andy Ruiz Jr. While he reclaimed the titles by the end of the year, the success didn't last long.

In 2021, he lost his heavyweight championship to Oleksandr Usyk by a decision. When he returned for the rematch a year later, he seemed rejuvenated, likely aided by new coach Robert Garcia. Despite that, he once again lost.

These losses, combined with his failed negotiations with Tyson Fury, put Anthony Joshua in a weird spot heading into 2023. In a recent interview with BT Sport, the former champion declined to give a timeline for a return, stating:

"I’m not a champion and it's hurting a lot. I'm in the gym, rebuilding, and restructuring, and everything on what to do in and out of the ring. There's a lot going on outside the ring in my life that's making boxing complicated."