Joshua had not stepped into the ring for over seven months before returning to beat Jermaine Franklin via a unanimous decision at London's O2 Arena on April 1.

The two-time world heavyweight champion stated he wanted to fight again in the next three months in order to "get the ball rolling."

Yet Joshua has since stated that his next challenge will not be until the end of this year.

He wrote in an Instagram story: "My next fight is scheduled for December. Not ideal but everything is part of a bigger picture."

There has been talk of Joshua doing battle with either Dillian Whyte or Tyson Fury after he got the better of American Franklin.

The Brit lost his world titles to Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2021 and lost his rematch with the Ukrainian In Jeddah last August.