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Anthony Joshua’s move to Dubai: what it means for his boxing future

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Anthony Joshua has formally moved from the UK to Dubai, as confirmed in corporate documents filed on March 7 for his companies Sparta Promotions Constrained and 258 Investments Constrained. Dubai’s zero income tax environment presents an obvious financial incentive – Sparta Promotions reported profits of over £20m in 2024 – but the boxing implications could be more critical than the balance sheet.

Career at a crossroads

Joshua (29-4, 26 KO) is currently at the most uncertain stage of his professional life. Ten days after stopping Jake Paul in the sixth round on December 19, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion was involved in a devastating car accident on Nigeria’s Lagos-Ibadan highway. Two close friends and members of his inner circle – personal trainer Kevin “Latz” Ayodele and strength and conditioning coach Sina Ghami – were killed. Joshua suffered rib injuries and was taken to hospital before being released on Modern Year’s Eve.

The disaster derailed an ambitious roadmap for 2026: a reshuffle of the season in Riyad in March, followed by the long-awaited showdown with Tyson Fury in August. This timeline is now waste paper.

“The original plan for AJ was to fight in March and then fight Tyson Fury in August. That didn’t happen,” promoter Eddie Hearn told the media in February. according to ESPN. “I think he’ll be back in the behind schedule summer, but he’s not physically able to go back to camp yet.”

Hearn has set July as his target return date, although in a separate interview with First Round TV he admitted there is no guarantee Joshua will even fight again.

Dubai as a training base

Joshua’s connection to Dubai is nothing fresh. He has used city facilities to host training camps throughout his career, and in 2017 he was photographed sparring on the Burj Al Arab helipad. He recently trained there in February with former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Making Dubai a enduring base rather than an occasional stopover raises practical questions. Joshua’s long-standing UK squad – built around a network of coaches, sparring partners and support staff who have supported him over the years in the championship – would need to be repeated or reimagined. The loss of Ayodele and Ghami has already broken that support system at the worst possible time.

Dubai’s geographical location actually brings Joshua closer to Riyad, where the Riyad Turki Alalshikh season has hosted many of boxing’s biggest recent events. If Joshua’s remaining fights are financed primarily by Saudi investment – as negotiations with Fury suggest – his proximity to that power center is not a disadvantage.

Fury Fight: Delayed, Not Dead

Fury, who retired after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, has announced his own comeback and his meeting with Arslanbek Makhmudov is scheduled for April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Hearn left the door open to an all-British showdown, suggesting it could come in behind schedule 2026 or early 2027. Fury, however, has publicly stated his preference for a trilogy fight with Usyk if he beats Makhmudov, which would push the fight with Joshua even further down the calendar.

The fight that British boxing fans have been clamoring for for a decade now hinges on a sequence of events that must end exactly right: Joshua must recover, win July training and stay on Alalshikh’s radar while Fury pursues his own path. As Fury said Heavenly sportsJoshua’s disaster was the catalyst for his return: “Life is very compact, very precious and very frail. Anything can happen at any time.”

What will happen next

Joshua is 36 years elderly and has four defeats under his belt. Keeping Paul was a necessary payoff, but it told the sport nothing about his standing against elite heavyweights. The last time he defeated a ranked opponent was a decision over Jermaine Franklin in April 2023 – almost three years ago.

The fresh address does not change these facts. What may change is the emotional environment around the final chapter of his career. Joshua spoke publicly for the first time since the February crash, describing his return around the friends he lost: “My goal is to continue to support them achieve their goals. Even if they are not here physically when I pray, I know they will support me spiritually.”

This is not the language of a person chasing a payday loan. Whether he moves from a gym in Dubai or Sheffield, the challenge is the same: to prove that, at the age of 36, Anthony Joshua is still one of the best heavyweights in the world. The address you provide on your corporate filing is much less critical than the address you provide when the bell rings.

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: Hes Going to Piece Him Up

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Tim Bradley Predicts Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli: "He's Going to Piece Him Up"

Tim Bradley anticipates a “hell of a fight” unfolding between Canelo Alvarez and Christian Mbilli, but only sees one man emerging victorious on October 31.

The pair will collide in a super-middleweight contest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Mbilli making a first defence of his WBC world title.

He was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full champion following the retirement of Terence Crawford, who became the undisputed 168lb king by dethroning Canelo with a unanimous decision victory in September.

That same night, Mbilli defended his then-interim belt with a 10-round draw against Lester Martinez, producing a performance that aptly reflected his high-volume style.

But while the Frenchman does, indeed, force a considerable pace in the ring, many doubt that this will be enough to trump the 36-year-old Canelo.

Despite coming to the end of his decorated career, the Mexican hardly disgraced himself against Crawford and, prior to that, had remained unbeaten since his 2022 defeat to Dmitry Bivol.

Not only that, but many feel Alvarez is a more technically savvy operator than Mbilli, who throws punches in bunches but typically comes forward in straight lines.

It is partly because of this that Hall of Famer Bradley, while speaking with FightHypehas predicted a dominant victory for Canelo.

“He going to piece Mbilli’s ass up. I like Mbilli – tough guy, comes to bring the pain. It’s going to be a hell of a fight. But Canelo going to catch and shoot on his ass all night long.

“Uppercuts, hooks … it’s going to be bad. [Canelo’s] going to look like he’s back [to his best].”

By “catch and shoot”, Bradley means he is expecting Canelo to punish Mbilli with his counterpunching prowess, even if the 31-year-old keeps springing back with relentless aggression.

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Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: You Have No Other Option

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"Shakur Stevenson Challenges Devin Haney to Step Up Against KO Champion: 'You Have No Other Option'"

Devin Haney is currently searching for his next opponent and Shakur Stevenson believes there is only one option for him.

Haney hasn’t fought since becoming a three-division world champion when he defeated Brian Norman Jr by unanimous decision to win the WBO welterweight title back in November.

He has been rumoured to face a number of opponents since then, including Stevenson himself, but it looked like ‘The Dream’ would finally settle on a mandatory showdown with Keyshawn Davis after Top Rank won the purse bid for the clash last week.

Those plans went up in smoke when Davis pulled out of the contest, and Stevenson has explained why he thinks Haney now must target a battle against unified super-welterweight champion Jaron Ennis.

“You said you’d fight Conor Benn? You said you’d find Xander. Why the f**k you don’t say you want to fight Boots now? Matter of fact, you’ve got no other option.

“There’s nobody else on the table. There’s no me, there’s no Key[shawn Davis]there’s no Rolly. Who do you go to? Boots is free. Go get him.”

Ennis previously became unified champion at welterweight before moving up to 154lbs, making an instant impact in the new division when he stopped Xander Zayas in June to win the WBA and WBO super-welterweight titles.

It remains to be seen whether Haney would have any interest in moving up in weight to take on Ennis, with ‘Boots’ also having been linked to fights against IBF champion Josh Kelly, and fellow unbeaten star Vergil Ortiz.

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New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight

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"New World Champion Aims to Follow Canelo and Golovkin as Top Middleweight"

A newly-crowned world champion believes he has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin by becoming the best middleweight fighter on the planet.

Canelo and Golovkin each ruled the 160lb division for a number of years, culminating in two middleweight battles between the pair and one at super-middleweight.

While ‘GGG’ may have last competed in 2022, Canelo remains active, but now fights at super-middleweight, opening the door for a fighter to step up and become the top dog in the middleweight division.

One man who believes he can do just that is Aaron McKenna, who won the vacant IBF middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Etinosa Oliha in Dublin on Saturday.

Speaking to Sky Sports following that win, McKenna explained how he has ambitions to pick up where the likes of Canelo and Golovkin left off.

“It doesn’t matter [who’s next]whoever wants it. I’m easy to find now, I have a belt. There’s no hiding any more. I want to collect every single belt in boxing. I’m the best middleweight and super-middleweight in the world. I don’t mind jumping up.

“The middleweight division’s there to be took over. It’s been dying for years since GGG (Golovkin) and Canelo left it. I said it again, a year ago, I think I’m going to be the man to take it over.”

The other world champions at 160lbs may have a thing or two to say about McKenna’s plan, as Denzel Bentley is the current WBO champion, Carlos Adamas holds the WBC belt, and Erislandy Lara is the WBA titleholder.

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