The former two-time heavyweight champion has not fought since losing to Daniel Dubois last September but is planning on a return to action before the end of the year
Anthony Joshua has promised to “take the division by storm again” ahead of his highly-anticipated return to the ring.
The former two-time heavyweight champion has not been seen since he suffered an agonising knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last September. Many assumed that the pair would go head-to-head in an immediate rematch, but ‘AJ’ needed some extra time to recover following their initial encounter.
Joshua, 35, recently had surgery on his elbow and is now looking to fight before the end of the year. The Brit has been enjoying some quality time away from the ring and has been spotted in the Middle East and was recently pictured with Amir Khan in Ghana.
After taking a break from the sport which he so dearly loves, the Brit is ready to return to action. Speaking at the unveiling of Matchroom Boxing’s rebranding, the heavyweight star is plotting a destructive comeback. He said: “I took a year out, first time in about 12 to 13 years as a professional, not even including the amateur stuff.
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“But I took a year out, get my body right. I’m at a different stage in my career where I can look at time a bit differently. I’m all these years in front of me like the main man here, so I’ve got to make like really executive decisions about what I do next. So the minute I come back, you know I’ll come back with a bang rather than just keep rolling through and just going with the motions of the sport. I just thought, let me take some time out so when I do come back I come back fully active and ready to go and take the division by storm again.”
Following Fury’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in December – many had hoped to see both Fury and Joshua clash in the ring this year. However, the ‘Gypsy King’ shocked the boxing world earlier this year after announcing his retirement. However, according to Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn, it seems as if the Brit is now looking to move on with his career, but still hopes to one day settle the score with Fury before calling it a day.
In an interview with Sky Sports, when asked about the future of Joshua, Hearn replied: “Yeah, good, he had that operation recently… that elbow surgery, which went very well. You will see him return in October, November or December. We’re looking for that opponent in the top ten. Deontay Wilder I think fights next week.
“I know he is a name that has been mentioned. For AJ, like I said, 2026 I think could be his last year in the sport and it seemed to get headlined, but what else do you expect? That is three or four fights away. He cannot go on forever! He is motivated. Physically feeling good now to return to camp and ready for one little last roll to this incredible career.
“Hopefully that involves a fight with Mr (Tyson) Fury. But after he is done parading his kilt around on Netflix, hopefully he joins us in the ring in 2026. It would be an incredible occasion for British boxing. But first thing is first, AJ will return during that period this year and obviously he must win and that performance will tell us a lot about the future of Anthony Joshua.”