Anthony Joshua has been omitted from the IBF heavyweight rankings, with Nigeria’s Efe Ajagba and Moses Itauma both climbing the ladder.
The former two-time world champion has not fought since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley last September.
He rejected an immediate rematch in order to undergo elbow surgery, while Dubois went on to lose his IBF belt to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua had been linked with a bout against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul early next year, but the American has since announced he will instead face Gervonta Davis in an exhibition in November. That has left Joshua without a confirmed opponent, and the IBF has now dropped him from their rankings, where he had previously been sixth.
Usyk remains champion, with Derek Chisora and Ajagba sitting second and third. Itauma has risen to fifth after stopping Dillian Whyte last month, while Dubois now holds seventh spot.
Joshua is not expected to return to the ring before the end of the year, with early 2026 targeted for a comeback. Promoter Eddie Hearn admitted the 35-year-old’s next fight is likely to be a tune-up before a major showdown.
“I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December,” Hearn said. “He’s been travelling about a bit but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. These big fights take time and every AJ event is massive.”
Talks have taken place over a potential fight in Ghana, with Hearn saying the country could host Joshua’s return.
“There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa,” he added.
“If Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January or February, then that’s the offer. I don’t think there’s a rush, albeit he has been out of the ring for almost a year now.”
Hearn also addressed speculation about a fight with Paul, but admitted its future depends on the American’s exhibition with Davis. “I had a long call with Nakisa [Bidarian]. They want to do the AJ fight after Gervonta,” he explained. “I said if Jake Paul gets chinned by Gervonta Davis we can’t fight you. I know it’s an exhibition so that probably won’t happen but we have to wait and see.”
Despite uncertainty around his next opponent, Hearn insisted that Joshua remains focused on securing one last career-defining contest.
“Any fight he has next is likely to be a warm-up for that roll-the-dice fight. We hope, in an ideal world, that’s Tyson Fury. If not, it will be against one of the top five heavyweights,” Hearn said.
