Having missed out on a lucrative pairing with Jake Paul for the time being, Anthony Joshua has been urged to pivot and switch focus to a new clash.
Linked heavily in recent weeks with a showdown against the polarizing Jake Paul, former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has missed out on a clash with the former.
Losing out to WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in the sweepstakes to take on Paul, Watford native Joshua now seems in line for a new year return.
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But with an opponent still yet to be ironed out, Joshua has been backed to fight a fellow Olympic gold medalist by a former world champion.
Carl Frampton urges Anthony Joshua to fight Tony Yoka next
Expected to make his comeback to the ring at the beginning of next year, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, Joshua still has some sizable options on the table
But as far as former featherweight titleholder Carl Frampton is concerned, a pairing of Joshua and his fellow Olympic gold medal winner Tony Yoka is an exciting fight with an intriguing backstory.
“I’d like to see him (Anthony Joshua) in a fight — like a Tony Yoka — I think it’s a good fight,” Frampton told Boxing News.
“Two Olympic medalists from different Olympics, you can build a narrative around it,” Frampton continued. “You can build a story. And it’s a fight where the winner can go onto a bigger and better fight afterwards.”
Linked with a potential showdown in Africa against Yoka, another long-mooted showdown against a fellow ex-champion has been clamored for Joshua next, too.
Fans hopeful of Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder fight
Forever linked with a showdown against former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder during their respective title run, Joshua and the Tuscaloosa native inexplicably failed to ever face off with each other.
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And now hopeful of seeing Joshua finally fight Wilder off the back of his failed bout with Wilder, the Brit seems to have some other intriguing options on the table, too.
Namely, the above-mentioned Matchroom Boxing leader Hearn revealed his 2026 boxing wish list — featuring a clash of Joshua and his compatriot Tyson Fury as his most anticipated booking.