Anthony Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has confirmed the boxer has “received an offer” for a blockbuster fight for his return to the ring.
The 35-year-old hasn’t fought since his emphatic knockout defeat against Daniel Dubois 12 months ago, and has been nursing an elbow injury for some time.
The options for AJ’s next opponent seem to be decreasing by the minute. Jake Paul announced he was to fight Gervonta Davis in November . That came after AJ and The Problem Child had been in talks for weeks about a potential bout.
Joseph Parker is said to be close to agreeing a fight with Fabio Wardley for October, while Tyson Fury recently ruled himself out of a shock return to boxing.
Jake Paul will face Gervonta Davis on November 14
| GETTYRegardless of his opponent, AJ has been rumoured to have been holding talks with Ghana to see if it would be possible to hold a major event in the country.
The two-time heavyweight champion’s Nigerian heritage has fuelled this ambition to deliver a marquee event to African audiences, and he has maintained his desire to host a boxing event there.
Anthony Joshua has held talks over a potential bout in Africa
| PAAJ’s promoter Hearn has confirmed the talks have taken place, and there has been an offer to host a Joshua fight.
Speaking on the Flash Knockdown podcast, the promoter said: “As the time ticks by, it’s probably more likely that we see [Joshua] in the ring again for a January/February date if I’m honest. I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December.
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Eddie Hearn revealed Anthony Joshua has received a fight offer
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"He’s been travelling about a bit but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. But these big fights take time, and every AJ event is a massive event.
“It was well publicised about the meetings that took place in Ghana over the last couple of weeks. There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa.
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“However, when you are doing site deals, a lot of it depends on when the host wants to stage the show. So, if Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January/February, then that’s the offer."
One fighter’s name that has been circulated as a possibility is French Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka. The 33-year-old has praised Joshua for promoting the game within the continent.
"A lot of people are talking about it, and it could generate enormous interest," Yoka told L'Equipe. "If it comes to fruition, it will indeed be a huge event for African boxing."
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French Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka has become a leading candidate for a bout with Anthony Joshua, and has praised the plans to host it in Africa | GETTYFormer English boxer-turned-promoter Amir Khan recently hosted an event in Ghana with success and is currently gearing up for another one in Nigeria, where Joshua’s heritage originates.
Speaking to The Sun, Khan remained optimistic over his chances of collaborating with AJ: "Why not? Definitely!”
Hearn concluded by explaining there was no panic in the Joshua camp regarding his next opponent: “I don’t think there’s a rush, albeit he has been out of the ring for almost a year now. Any fight he has next, though, is likely to be a warm-up fight for that ‘roll the dice’ fight.”
He added one dream fight for Joshua that all fans would want to see: “We hope, in an ideal world, that is Tyson Fury. But, if not, it will be against one of the top five heavyweights.”