Just as it looked like talks to finally make the long awaited Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua fight could commence, Fury announced that he would retire; Joshua is now left looking at alternative options; promoters and two potential opponents speak to Sky Sports about AJ’s next move
Sports journalist
Tuesday 14 January 2025 21:35, UK
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Anthony Joshua is having to make new plans. The former unified world heavyweight titlist had his sights set on boxing his great British rival Tyson Fury.
But Fury caught Joshua, and the rest of the sporting world, off guard on Monday when he declared that he would retire.
Negotiations had not formally began, but hopes were so high that Fury vs AJ would finally happen in 2025 that Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, had earmarked a date for that fight to take place at Wembley Stadium in the summer.
But, with no current indication that Fury intends to reverse his decision, Joshua is left looking for a different opponent.
Last September Joshua’s bid to win the IBF belt and become a three-time world champion ended in disaster when Daniel Dubois knocked him out in five rounds.
An immediate rematch with Dubois was considered but petered out as Joshua recuperated from that loss.
Dubois will make the next defence of his belt against in-form former world champion, and former Anthony Joshua opponent, Joseph Parker on February 22.
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Hearn would like Joshua to be in contention to face the Dubois-Parker victor.
“If it’s not Fury, it’s just the world heavyweight championship. It’s Daniel Dubois against Joseph Parker,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
“AJ’s going to fight again regardless of who he fights. I think he didn’t take the defeat well, which is good. You should never take defeat well. But particularly over the last couple of weeks, he’s got his mojo back. He’s ready to start training camp.”
Hearn continued: “But the focus was always Tyson Fury and the Daniel Dubois rematch. I’m not so sure Daniel Dubois beats Joseph Parker. You’ve got the winner of that fight or somebody else.
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“Really at this stage of your career you want the biggest fights and you want to try and become three-time world heavyweight champion.”
Though Dubois’ promoter Frank Warren points out that if Joshua wants to put himself in a position to challenge the February 22 winner he needs to make himself eligible. First AJ has “got to go and win a fight,” Warren told Sky Sports.
Joshua won’t get sanctioned for an IBF world title fight straight off the back of a defeat. Warren explained: “They aren’t going to allow him to do that. The IBF won’t allow that.”
There is another route back to world level contention though.
On the February 22 undercard, Zhilei Zhang fights Agit Kabayel for the WBC Interim heavyweight title. The Interim titlist would be in prime position for a mandatory challenge against Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBC as well as the WBA and WBO world championships.
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But both Kabayel and Zhang would welcome a contest with Anthony Joshua, while they waited for that shot at Usyk.
“I’m ready, let’s go,” Kabayel told Sky Sports. “Everything is interesting. I’m the fighter.
“I’m a sportsman. I will only fight. It is what it is.”
Zhang is especially eager to box Joshua. The Chinese heavyweight lost to AJ at the London Olympics in 2012 when they were amateurs and today, all these years later, he still wants revenge.
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“Everything is possible. The AJ fight is possible, but right now I just want to pay attention to Kabayel. February 22 has my whole focus. I’ll think about who’s next after I beat him,” Zhang told Sky Sports.
But he added: “This is an interesting because my name was brought up multiple times in the past years. Eddie [Hearn] brought it up. Look where I am right now – nowhere to be found in the Joshua hitlist.
“At the same time, my team flew to London a couple of years ago. They met with Eddie, they met with Joshua’s management team. Look where I am right now – nowhere to be found on Joshua’s hitlist. So I don’t know.
“Who knows?” he reflected. “But my point is I’m available. If they want to fight me just send over the contract.”
There might not necessarily be a fight as big as Tyson Fury on offer to Anthony Joshua. But there are still options at heavyweight that could see him fight his way back into world level contention.
“Whoever it is, he will fight again,” Hearn insisted.
Whether or not Fury stays retired, in 2025 Anthony Joshua will be back.
© 2025 Sky UK
