Anthony Joshua has welcomed a fight with rising star Moses Itauma, while laying out the possible bouts that could follow his duels with Tyson Fury.
Heavyweights “AJ” and Fury are contracted to finally square off in an all-British clash later this year, with the date and location expected to be announced in the coming months, and with a rematch due in 2027.
First, though, Joshua must get past Kristian Prenga on 25 July, while Fury is hoping for his own warm-up fight this summer, too.
While some fans have speculated that Joshua, 36, and Fury, 37, could retire after their match-ups, AJ has played down the idea.
Speaking to The Ring this week, the former champion said: “With me and Fury, it can’t be the only one, because I know if I stay around long enough, there’s the rematch with [Daniel] Dubois, there’s a potential Fabio [Wardley] fight.
“There’s the Agit [Kabayel] fight out there, providing he becomes champion, how big that would be. There’s an Itauma fight as he’s coming up the rankings, there’s still the [Deontay] Wilder fight out there.
“These are gonna be massive fights, so Fury’s just another number, and I’m trying to say: I don’t put him on no pedestal, he ain’t above no one. They’re all in my way, all on the same level. I’m not putting him above no one.”
Like Joshua, Fury is a former two-time world heavyweight champion. The pair have been linked for years and even signed to fight each other in 2021, but Wilder threatened legal action, forcing a trilogy bout with Fury. The “Gypsy King” proceeded to knock out Wilder for the second time, ending their rivalry, but Fury vs Joshua continued to elude fans.
It is once again close, however, with an October or November date on the cards at London’s Wembley Stadium.
First, Joshua’s warm-up fight with Prenga will play out in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while Fury wants to compete in Dublin, Ireland on 1 August.
Joshua last boxed in December, stopping YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in six rounds in Miami. Ten days later, AJ survived a car crash in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of two of his teammates.
In April, Fury ended his fifth retirement from boxing and fought Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, winning on points as Joshua watched from ringside.
