Boxing

Eddie Hearn reveals Anthony Joshua is considering fight offers from Africa and is still watching Tyson Fury fight

Published

10 months ago

October 9, 2025

Anthony Joshua is considering offers to fight in Ghana and Nigeria ahead of his 2026 megafight with Tyson Fury, according to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn.

Joshua (28-4, 25 KO) will turn 36 next week and has not boxed since a knockout loss to English rival Daniel Dubois in September 2024. He is currently recovering from surgery on an elbow injury and Hearn has said he will return to boxing either overdue this year or early 2026.

Martin Bakole and former WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder are reportedly vying to become Joshua’s next opponent after the biggest break of his professional career.

Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KO), 33, of Congo, is an option for Joshua to fight in Nigeria and has not won his last two fights after a second-round loss to Joseph Parker as a overdue substitute in February and then a draw against Efe Ajagba in May. Wilder (44-4-1, 32 KO), an Alabama native who turns 40 this month, recorded only his second victory in six fights in June and expects to fight in early 2026.

“I originally thought there wouldn’t be an AJ fight this year, but now it’s a possibility,” Hearn told ESPN.

“I went to Dubai to meet him and he’s really back, he’s withdrawn, he’s focused. It took him a good few months to come to terms with the defeat, then he got injured, then he went back to camp, then he rested, but then it all came back and he needed surgery, so another three months passed.

“It was a really frustrating time. But when I saw him in Dubai, I really wanted to look him in the eye and find out if he wants to make a quick buck before you give up, or if you really want it, and the answer is the latter: he really wants to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. That’s his motivation.”

Hearn also revealed that there had been offers from Africa as to what Joshua wanted to do before he retired from the sport.

“We had an approach from Ghana and now Nigeria. I think AJ fighting in Africa would be amazing.

“If he fights again in February or March, he will be out of the ring for 18 months. That’s plenty of time to get back to fighting a top 10 heavyweight, but he’s also Anthony Joshua and you have huge contracts, so you can’t just fight some random guy who’s ranked 100th in the world through eight rounds. If he wasn’t Anthony Joshua, you could do it, but in his position he’s it’s very tough.”

Joshua and Hearn’s top priority is securing a long-awaited fight against English rival and fellow two-time world champion Fury (34-2-1, 24 KO), who has not boxed since undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk passed him for the second time. Joshua, who also lost twice on points to Ukrainian Usyk, and 37-year-old Fury have been in talks to fight each other for five years without any fight.

Hearn recently held talks about making Joshua vs. Fury with Turki Alalshikh, president of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia and the most powerful figure in world boxing.

“I’ve never heard him talk about anyone the way he talks about Tyson Fury, not only about wanting to fight him, but about how he can’t wait for the spark to knock him out,” Hearn told ESPN.

“I’ve never heard him say that before. He really wants to fight him and he really wants to beat him. But he’s also looking at the division and how it’s going to be split up a little bit, and he wants to get vigorous.”

“He said to me, ‘You know, some people go to smaller shows to get some exposure, some people go to Mexico to fight under the radar.’ It’s strenuous to do that when you’re probably the most famed boxer in the world. But when you’re sidelined for about a year, it’s very tough to get back into a huge fight without gaining that momentum.

“When we fight Fury or anyone who ever fights a huge fight in 2026, we’d just like to get some momentum going, which is good news for fight fans because he wants to fight, he wants to be vigorous. When I told him you probably have another 18 months, and he said, ‘Why are you counting it out?’

“I was in Riyad last week with His Excellency and he has a plan that he wants to implement for AJ as well, which inevitably includes a fight with Tyson Fury. Honestly, I think Turki Alalshikh is probably the only one who can make the fight with Tyson Fury happen because they will both want a huge sum of money and Turki has a reputation for organizing the biggest fights in sports. And the biggest fight in the sport is Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, there’s no doubt about it.

“We’re ready. One of Turki’s greatest advantages is that he will individually make a deal with both sides. You make a deal with Turki and then you let him do the other side.”

Boxing

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

Published

23 hours ago

August 9, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"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.

Boxing

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

Published

23 hours ago

August 9, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"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.

Boxing

Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha Live Results: Fight Highlights and Updates

Published

2 days ago

August 8, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

"Aaron McKenna vs Etinosa Oliha Live Results: Fight Highlights and Updates"

LIVE COVERAGE

Aaron McKenna faces the biggest night of his career as the Irish contender battles Etinosa Oliha for the vacant IBF middleweight title in Dublin.

The all-action card also features Callum Walsh against Tyler Denny, Joseph Ward’s return at light heavyweight, and appearances from Stephen McKenna, Connor Coyle and Sam Hickey.

WBN provides live results, live scorecards from the two main bouts, and updates from every bout as they happen.

Live Scorecards

Aaron McKenna vs. Etinosa Oliha

Callum Walsh vs. Tyler Denny

Live Results

Times are local IST

18:31

Connor Coyle earned a hard-fought ten-round decision against Mark Beuke but was never in danger if losing on his Zuffw debut, before Stephen McKenna blasted Owen O’Neill out in one round soon after.

17:50

Patrick O’Connor remained undefeated at 4-0 with a TKO victory over Juan Manuel Moriel to kick the action off.

TV Coverage and Remaining Bouts

United States: Paramount+
United Kingdom: Sky Sports

Aaron McKenna vs. Etinosa Oliha – Vacant IBF World Middleweight Title (12)
Callum Walsh vs. Tyler Denny (10)
Joseph Ward vs. Artjom Kasparian (10)
Sam Hickey vs. Brad Axe (8)
Louis Greene vs. Daniel Buciuc (6)

Preview

Aaron McKenna headlines in Dublin against Etinosa Oliha for the vacant IBF middleweight titlewhile fellow Irish star Callum Walsh steps up against Tyler Denny in the chief support.

Victory for both men would move them a step closer to a potential all-Irish world title showdown, a fight Dana White has already admitted is firmly on his radar.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.