Eddie Hearn, promoter for former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, cautions that a lot has to happen in order to finalize a fight with Filip Hrgovic - at least when it comes to a date in March.

Joshua is on track to return to the ring in March in Saudi Arabia.

He was initially slated to face former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, but the 'Bronze Bomber' suffered an upset decision loss to Joseph Parker on December 23.

Last year, Joshua saw action three times - which hasn't happened since 2016.

Hearn would like to see the same three-fight schedule play out in 2024.

“I think he’s gonna fight in March. Then I guess he fights in August, September, so whether it’s three times in the calendar year or three times from March to March, something like that," Hearn told IFL TV.

A showdown with Hrgovic, who is currently the IBF's mandatory challenger, is a very good possibility.

The current IBF world champion, Oleksandr Usyk, is facing Tyson Fury on February 17 in a high-stakes undisputed fight.

There is a contracted two-way rematch clause - which creates a scenario where a second fight is likely.

The IBF title expected to become vacant in the aftermath of the first Usyk-Fury encounter.

And that could set the stage for a Joshua vs. Hrgovic showdown for the vacant IBF belt.

However, there is no guarantee that all of these steps would fall in line in time for a March date.

"A lot has to happen by March to make that possible with Hrgovic. Obviously, [Fury and] Usyk fight in the middle of February. Are they gonna be able to keep the belt? Do they have to let it go? Is Joshua just gonna replace Wallin in the rankings? There’s a lot of discussions," Hearn said.

"If that’s in play for March, that’s definitely a possibility. Maybe that’s a fight that, when everything plays out, could be one for the summer. As I said, our conversations right now are about mapping out AJ’s next four or five fights … his 2024 and potentially the rest of his career.”