"Failure hurts, especially for such an ambitious athlete, but I'm glad that now Joshua will finally fight without any championship pressure and he will have more freedom in his choice of opponents. His career has already hit a high point, and now he won't have to worry about mandatory opponents and opponents imposed by boxing organizations," Hearn added.
"There are a lot of options with exciting bouts waiting for Joshua. Even in the U.K. market, we have some interesting potential opponents. He's quickly reached the highest level, but it's definitely not the end of his career," the British promoter believes.
The Matchroom Boxing boss plans for Joshua to have four professional fights over the next twelve months. The next fight for the Englishman will be the first since 2015, in which the world heavyweight title will not be on the line.