Anthony Joshua is reportedly poised to return to the ring in a high-profile heavyweight clash against ex-YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami later this year.

The Daily Mail reports that both camps are close to finalising an agreement, with the bout tentatively scheduled for either December 9 or 12.

Paul had been set to face American rival Gervonta Davis on November 14, but the fight was cancelled following allegations of domestic violence against Davis.

Joshua has not fought since his fifth-round stoppage defeat to British rival Daniel Dubois last September, which halted his momentum under trainer Ben Davison and ended his pursuit of another world title.

“Dubois brutally knocked out Joshua in the fifth round, derailing hopes of him mounting a charge for the heavyweight titles,” reports noted.

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Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed on Monday that a decision regarding Joshua’s activity this year would be made soon.

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“We will make a decision this week in terms of if he will fight this year. We have to decide by this weekend basically,” Hearn told Sky Sports.

Hearn added: “It doesn’t really matter where it is. You won’t know about it until maybe even fight week. Honestly. That’s the whole purpose of it. I think it would be so good for him but bizarre at the same time because there’s no money in the fight. We’re not going to start using him to sell tickets. Literally he will just pop up on a show. He’s really up for it. I think it would be so good for him. I’d love him to go in there and just smash someone up.”

Paul, who lost to Tommy Fury in 2023 before defeating boxing legend Mike Tyson in an eight-round contest last year, now has a potential bout with Joshua after his scheduled fight with Davis fell through.

Joshua’s loss to Dubois ended a run of four consecutive wins following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.

With former rival Tyson Fury expected to return to the ring in 2026, a showdown between Joshua and Fury remains a highly anticipated possibility.