Anthony Joshua revealed this week that he plans to return to action in September against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is coming off a second-round knockout win over novice Francis Ngannou on March 8th, and he wants to return to fighting world-level fighters.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has given him four consecutive confidence builders to boost him mentally after his two crushing defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Fans are getting tired of seeing Joshua being fed stiffs by Hearn, and they can’t wait to see if he can handle a world-class opponent without crumbling like he did against Usyk and Andy Ruiz.
A Step Up in Competition
With those wins behind him, AJ could potentially face the Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois clash winner. Those two are being pegged for June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The winner might not be ready to face Joshua in September, especially if they suffer an injury.
“Around September is when I’ve been told – I was hoping for June,” said Joshua to the Johnathan Ross show.
“I’ve got some time to go on dates now and mingle a little bit. I’m training at the minute. I’ve got two months before I get into training camp.
Fury-Usyk Outcome Shapes Plans
“No, [I don’t know the opponent], but I think what they’re saying is, ‘Be patient,’ because you’ve got Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk for all the belts. And then once that’s done, hopefully, I can kick down the door and get my opportunity.”
Joshua won’t have to kick the door down to get the winner of the May 18th Fury-Usyk fight because the Saudis are likely to grease the wheels for him to fight whoever emerges as the victor in that contest.
The Saudis might hold off on having Joshua fight the Fury-Usyk winner if Usyk wins. Usyk has already established that he’s too good for Joshua and has his number, and it wouldn’t be interesting for fans to see AJ take a third straight drubbing.
He’s Joshua’s kryptonite, and the Saudis might hold off on making that trilogy clash, knowing that it would end badly for AJ.
Besides, there will be a lot of interest in a second clash between Usyk and Fury if the Gyspy King is coming off a defeat. Fans will be eager to see if Usyk can thrash him a second time and potentially end his career in the process.