Nigerian-born former world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua has asserted that he is already looking forward to picking up from where he stopped when he returns to the ring on July 25th.
Sports247 reports that Joshua made the declaration after information emerged that he will first take on little known Albanian pugilist, Kristian Prenga before finally locking fists with British rival, Tyson Fury.
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While a deal between Joshua and Fury was officially announced on Monday, additional reports indicated that ‘AJ’ will first tango Prenga in a ‘warm-up’ bout before finally settling scores with ‘The Gypsy King’ at a later date in November.
Although the exact day in November has not been stated, officials hinted that the venue will most likely be at Croke Park in Dublin, Northern Ireland, rather than Wembley, London; but ‘AJ’ will first contend with Prenga in Riyadh on July 25th.
The arrangement was disclosed by Saudi promoter, Turki Alalshikh, who pointed out that ‘Joshua versus Fury’ is part two of a deal that will come to a resounding climax in ‘The Battle of Britain;’ and he enthused: “It is happening, it’s signed.”
Both former world heavyweight champs responded in varying ways, following Monday’s official announcement that they have negotiated their separate financial deals with Alalshikh, from which reports indicate they will potentially earn $20-30m each.
Joshua said: “It’s no secret that I’ve taken some time to rebuild. I’m ready to step back into the ring. I look forward to picking up where I left off.”
Fury added, “Ours is the biggest fight in world boxing at the moment. In fact, the only fight I’ve been interested in since I made my comeback.”
