Nigerian-born former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua has declared that he is ready for a major bout in the coming month, following reports of an impending schedule awaiting him.
Sports247 gathered that Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn set the ball rolling when he hinted about a comeback fight for ‘AJ’ in December, following which matchmakers then put the ex-champ up as a standby option.
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Joshua has been out of the ring since September 2024, when he was knocked out by fellow-Nigerian British pugilist, Daniel Dubois at Wembley but, after recovering from elbow surgery in the summer, he was tipped for a return to the ring in February.
Hearn has now hinted that Joshua might fight before 2025 ends, after pundits named the London 2012 gold medalist in a five-man shortlist of potential opponents to fight Jake Paul in place of Gervonta Davis.
‘AJ’ is a major potential replacement for Davis, who was due to face Paul in an exhibition bout on November 14th in Miami, USA; with Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia, Nate Diaz and Francis Ngannou also being considered.
Hearn reportedly put Joshua’s name forward after reaching out to Paul’s promotional partner, Nakisa Bidarian, but admitted that contractual allegiances still stand in the way.
He told iFL TV: “There would have to be a lot of things that fall into place.
But it’s possible. AJ is exclusive to DAZN, so without DAZN’s consent or blessing or a deal that DAZN is happy with, we wouldn’t go forward anyway.”
The renowned promoter also revealed that he has spoken to Joshua about the fight and stated that the fighter’s response was: “Just let me know where.”
