{"id":540991,"date":"2026-04-20T12:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/540991\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T12:15:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:15:07","slug":"anthony-joshua-offered-comeback-fight-against-the-man-tyson-fury-couldnt-ko-im-waiting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/540991\/","title":{"rendered":"Anthony Joshua offered comeback fight against the man Tyson Fury couldn’t KO: “I’m waiting”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anthony Joshua<\/a> is in search for a July opponent in order to best prepare him for a proposed showdown with Tyson Fury<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n

Fury returned to the heavyweight scene after a 16-month layoff, outboxing Russian powerhouse Arslanbek Makhmudov in a decision win at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium<\/a> to score a first victory since 2023.<\/p>\n

In the aftermath, \u2018The Gypsy King\u2019 piled pressure onto \u2018AJ\u2019, demanding that he signs to fight him next, hoping to disrupt Joshua\u2019s plans for an outing against an alternate foe this summer.<\/p>\n

However, the Watford-born operator refused to dance to Fury\u2019s tune and seems poised to stick to his original plan \u2013 fight in a \u2018warm-up\u2019 in three months\u2019 time<\/a> before a long-awaited meeting with \u2018The Gypsy King\u2019 towards the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

As a result, there are a host of heavyweights hoping to secure a lucrative affair with Joshua, whose only fight since a devastating 2024 defeat to Daniel Dubois came against YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul last December.<\/p>\n

That includes Makhmudov, who recently took to Instagram<\/a> to display a fight poster for his potential scrap with Joshua, after they discussed fighting one another late last year<\/a>. \u2018The Lion\u2019 also included a video message for the Brit, though his timeline doesn\u2019t quite add up.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Joshua, what\u2019s up man? I heard about you looking for an opportunity to fight in November in Riyadh. Listen, I hope you don\u2019t forget the words you give me. Man words. I wait for you, bro. Let me know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Makhmudov is one of few men in the division that can somewhat replicate the size of Fury, standing at almost 6\u20196\u201d, just three inches short of Fury\u2019s reported 6\u20199\u201d frame.<\/p>\n

More importantly, however, the fight would offer fans, and Joshua himself, a measuring stick of how much both he and Fury have left. If Joshua could do what Fury couldn\u2019t and stop the Russian inside the distance, he would move forward with confidence and armed with a great narrative for what may be the defining fight of his career. In fact, Fury himself even suggested the match-up.<\/p>\n

The only sticking point would be Makhmudov\u2019s turnaround time, having said that he now wants to rest before another training camp, perhaps ruling himself out of another big money fight and an opportunity to spoil some mammoth plans.<\/p>\n