Anthony Joshua’s return date could land in July, according to the heavyweight fighter’s long-time promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom.
Boxing financier Turki Alalshikh will reportedly offer Joshua a two-fight deal which includes a comeback bout in the summer ahead of a Battle of Britain fight against Tyson Fury, later in the year.
Fury returned to the ring on Saturday and scored a lopsided decision win over Arslanbek Makhmudov. He then got on the mic and swiftly called out Joshua who remained unfazed, sat on his ringside seat, talking about being his landlord.
Now, it appears the deal is something Hearn and Joshua are considering.
“Comeback in July and then Fury in November is the dream shot,” Hearn told The Ring Magazine. “There’s obviously a lot of work to be on that, but it’s what we are discussing.
“The fight in July would be a headline event against someone credible, someone of that same level as Makhmudov, and then go into the Tyson Fury fight.”
Joshua had been linked to Rico Verhoeven earlier in the year, and also Deontay Wilder, who fought Derek Chisora the weekend before Fury’s fight, and knocked Del Boy down twice en route to a narrow win on points.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao Deadline Passes
Elsewhere, a deadline regarding Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao’s rematch has passed.
The fight has suffered from mixed messaging since it was announced in February, when Netflix distributed statements to Boxing Social about a fully-sanctioned fight that would take place in September at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Mayweather, in March, then gave different statements to local channel Vegas Sports Today, saying The Sphere wasn’t final and the fight wasn’t real. It was just an exhibition.
Well, all these comments put him in breach of his deal, Jas Mathur of MP Promotions said.
Mathur previously told Boxing Social that making the fight official, with Mayweather’s unbeaten record on the line, was his one demand. He’d never have agreed to an exhibition.
Mathur told ESPN this week that a Tuesday deadline loomed over the promotion, as that was the cut-off for Mayweather to get back onto the same page as himself, Pacquiao, and even Netflix.