Boxing
Eddie Hearna’s risky plan to resurrect Anthony Joshu’s career against a perilous opponent
Published
1 year agoon
Eddie Hearn says that they must choose the opponent of Anthony Joshua “carefully” at the beginning of 2026 to prepare him for a great fight in the summer against a man whom he hopes that there will be Tyson Fury.
Risk weighing
Hearn wants to avoid Joshua (28-4, 25 KO), who suffers from nervous failure and ruining his plans for one of the popular heavyweight. The four names mentioned by Hearn in his fight for a sultry -up are risky for him because he left the ring for 16-17 months after the elbow surgery and knockout defeat with Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024.
Four Joshua candidates
- Tony Yoka
- EFE JAGBA
- Frank Sanchez
- Jared Anderson
These are still risky fights for Joshua, who is 36 years senior next month. Ajagba (20-1-1, 14 KO) would be a potential nightmare because of its power and size 6’6 ″. On the right side of the cannon was ruined by Hearna’s plans regarding AJ.
Olympic gold medalist 2016 Tony Yoka (14-3, 11 KO) is also not simple. It can hit and its size 6’7 ″ makes him a threat to Joshua. Although Yoka has lost several times in the last three years, these were competitive fights in which many difficult shots landed.
“We must carefully choose the next fight and I think that the best way to do it is to be sincere and saying that the next fight will be the fight for the construction of the ankle next summer,” said Eddie Hearn Sky sports boxing. “We want it to be against Tyson Fury. If this is not the case, it will be a huge fight.”
Safe and sound path options
At the bottom of the best 15 is a lighter difficult impact, which Joshua could fight, which would give him a better chance of winning. Considering that he takes a long break and a bad loss from Dubois, choosing one of these fighters, I think, would be a safer choice for AJ:
- Johnny Fisher
- Joseph Goodall
- Michael Hunter
- Mahmoud car
“We need a guy from the best 15 [next]. We need someone so that AJ can return to a competitive fight after he came out for what will be for over a year and prepare for what will be the last bone roller, “said Hearn.
History Reconstruction
In the case of four fights of Joshua in 2023 and 2024, Hearn chose four lower level fighters with which he did well. Although technically Otto Wallin and Jermaine Franklin were pretenders, they did not pose a threat to him. These types of heavyweight would be perfect for AJ to fight at the beginning of 2026 to keep him in the summer hit.
“Beating his career at this stage would be catastrophic for these plans. So we have to do it,” said Hearn.
Another loss with a knockout would put Joshua in a situation where he would have to decide whether it is worth continuing his career. Thanks to his power, speed, size and pedigree, he could quickly rebuild if he could remain busy enough to push three or four fights in a year and a half. This is unlikely, considering his age and a growing tendency to fight once a year.
“Joshua is at a crossroads, but he has a heart to come back. Look at Holyfield at the age of 34, losing to the knockout to regain size. AJ 36, it has not yet been done, but the next fight will tell us a lot,” said writer Tom Gray from Sporting News, telling about the next fight of Joshua at the beginning of 2026.
Olly Campbell covers boxing since 2010 and wrote for Boxing News 24 From 2014. In Great Britain, he now informs about the world boxing scene, providing news, results and functions connecting fans with the greatest stories of this sport.
Having experience in the field of relationships with Great Britain and European, Olly has developed a style that combines a edged analysis with available writing, thanks to which his work is valuable for both devoted observers and random fans. His reports consistently emphasize masters, pretenders and appearing prospects on the global stage.
Last updated 09/02/2025
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Boxing
Davies vs Collins & Heaney vs Warburton II Results: Full Fight Recap
Published
10 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
World Boxing News provides results and updates as Liam Davies faces Nathaniel Collins in the main event at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham.
Davies and Collins collide over 12 rounds for the EBU European featherweight title at the top of the Queensberry Promotions card.
Luke McCormack faces Kay Prospere for the vacant British super lightweight title, while Bradley Goldsmith takes on Amir Abubaker for the IBF International middleweight title.
WBN provides results and updates from every bout as they happen.
Results
All times are local BST.
23:11
Gerome Warburton defeated Nathan Heaney for the second time running as the middleweight put an exclamation mark on his first victory.
Heaney walks away from the sport having been an entertainer through a long carer, without reaching the heights of a world title.
22:04
Liam Davies improved to 19-1 after Nathaniel Collins retired at the end of the seventh round due to a cut over his right eye. Collins had also been dropped in the opening round as Davies successfully defended the European featherweight title.
21:22
Bradley Goldsmith improved to 17-1 with a seventh-round stoppage of Amir Abubaker to retain his IBF International middleweight title. Abubaker went down in the fourth and three times in the seventh before the finish at 2:42.
20:10
Lewis Richardson improved to 3-0 with a shutout six-round points victory over Ivan Trofimovich, earning a 60-54 decision.
19:56
Luke McCormack moved to 6-0 and claimed the vacant British super lightweight title with a tenth-round knockout of Kay Prospere, who was counted out after a right uppercut at 1:28.
18:55
Michael Hussain moved to 5-0 with a four-round points victory over Nabil Ahmed, earning a 39-38 decision.
18:11
Nelson Birchall moved to 12-0 with a third-round stoppage of Lewis Morris, who went down before the finish came at 1:12. Lasha Guruli also remained unbeaten at 5-0 after edging Hughie Wilson 77-75 over eight rounds.
17:22
Early action saw John Tom Varey and Reese Lynch claim four-round victories to move to 3-0 and 5-0 respectively.
TV Coverage
DAZN provides full worldwide coverage.
Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.
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.
Boxing
Janibek Alimkhanuly Shifts Perspective on Hamzah Sheeraz: A New Dynamic in Boxing
Published
12 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Janibek Alimkhanuly spent months trying to get Hamzah Sheeraz into the ring. Now that Sheeraz has vacated his WBO super middleweight title, Janibek is asking fans to stop saying the former champion ran from him. That is generous. It also leaves Janibek with less to say about a fight he wanted badly.
He’s not afraid of me. He didn’t run from me. He made his decision based on his own plans. He has his own goals! He’s my brother, and I ask everyone to stop saying he ran from me. He’s a great fighter, and I have nothing but respect for him! @sheeraz_hamzah 🫂 pic.twitter.com/uxZlegqSmH
— Janibek Alimkhanuly (@qazaqstyle) September 26, 2026
Janibek’s tone has changed since the purse bid. He was eager to fight, said money was not his priority, and publicly pushed Sheeraz to accept. Queensberry then bid $1,001,809 to stage the ordered defense, beating Top Rank’s $820,000 offer. Sheeraz’s 75 percent share would have been roughly $751,000. Days later, he gave up the belt.
That sequence deserves a closer look. Queensberry put a serious number on the fight, so the bid itself cannot be dismissed as proof that nobody valued it. But winning the right to promote a title defense means little to fans when the champion vacates before it happens.
Sheeraz has objected to Janibek receiving a mandatory shot after his failed drug test. He is entitled to explain that position. Fans are equally entitled to ask why the issue reached a purse bid before he surrendered the title. Janibek’s post supplies no answer.
Perhaps Janibek sees no benefit in branding Sheeraz a coward. Doing so would also make the opponent he chased sound less valuable. Calling Sheeraz a great fighter preserves the idea that this was an important contest, even after the belt and the fight slipped away.
The respect between them may be sincere. Janibek still gets no Sheeraz fight, and Sheeraz no longer has to defend his title against Janibek. A friendly photo does not change either result.
About the author
Boxing 24/7 Wire
Boxing247.com is an independent boxing news publication covering the sport since 2001. It provides original reporting, fight analysis, schedules, results, and informed coverage of major fighters and events worldwide, backed by more than 25 years of professional boxing journalism.
Boxing
Virginia Confirms Decision to Erase Prichard Colón Loss from Records
Published
13 hours agoon
September 26, 2026
Virginia has given World Boxing News its final answer on whether Prichard Colón’s last professional defeat can still be challenged, bringing an end to WBN’s long fight to have the result annulled and removed from his record.
WBN has pursued the possibility of changing the controversial disqualification defeat to Terrel Williams, with those efforts continuing following Colón’s death at age 33.
Virginia’s Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation previously explained that a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the result.
WBN pressed Eric Beidel, Communications & Digital Media Manager for the Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation, on whether any avenue remained to challenge the decision.
“And on that final question … as mentioned before, a decision can only be overturned if there is proven collusion, a scorecard error, or a regulatory violation that affected the results,” Beidel graciously responded after providing WBN with transparent answers throughout the investigation.
“In addition, a complaint about a regulatory violation must be filed within three years of the alleged violation.”
The Colón-Williams fight took place on October 17, 2015, meaning that deadline expired years ago.
Virginia Closes Appeal Route
Virginia’s response also addressed whether the result could instead be challenged through an appeal.
“The Administrative Process Act (APA) does create appeal rights to case decisions, but because DPOR never received a complaint in this instance, there was no case or decision that could be appealed under the APA.”
The deadline for filing a complaint about a regulatory violation has expired, while the absence of an original complaint means there is no case decision available to appeal under the APA.
For WBN, Virginia’s response ends a long fight to have the defeat annulled and removed from Colón’s professional record.

WBN’s Fight for Prichard Colón
It is no secret that WBN and Prichard were close before the most tragic night of his career ended all contact and left us on the outside for the years leading up to his death.
That never stopped WBN from reporting on Prichard, campaigning for change and hoping lessons from what happened to him could help prevent another fighter and family from enduring the same tragedy.
Virginia’s final response may end WBN’s attempts to have the result changed, but it does not end our commitment to Prichard.
Prichard Colón will not be forgotten.
WBN will continue to keep his name alive whenever and wherever possible with the WBN Boxer Pageand push to ensure his fight for life and everything that happened in its aftermath are never allowed to simply disappear from boxing’s memory.
This investigation ends here, but Prichard’s story does not.
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.
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