Anthony Joshua has announced his decision to return to the ring in September as he remains on the cusp of becoming a three-time world champion, Punch Sports Extra reports.
The British-Nigerian pugilist is currently on a four-fight winning streak following back-to-back defeats of losing his belts and failing to win them back against Oleksandr Usyk.
The last 12 months have seen him pick up four wins, three by knockouts against Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou.
Asked when he will be back in action after his most recent win on the Jonathon Ross show, as reported via Forbes, Joshua said, “Around September is when I’ve been told; I was hoping for June. I’ve got some time to go on dates now and mingle a little bit. I’m training at the moment; I’ve got two months before I get into training camp.”
The 34-year-old former unified heavyweight champion had this to say when asked about a potential fight with Tyson Fury.
“Fury is one of my rivals; this is someone I want to compete with one day. So everything he says, I’ve got it all stored in the back of my memory, and when the fight happens, I’m going to use it as a lot of fuel.”
Joshua was then asked about his last fight with Ngannou, which he won by a second-round knockout.
He said, “I was preparing for 10 rounds of a tough fight. The guy is a big, strong guy with a different feel because he’s an MMA fighter. He’s a tough guy. I thought I would still be victorious, and it happened a lot sooner than I expected.
“You don’t get along with some fighters, so sometimes there’s no conversation after. There’s a level of respect as well—me and Ngannou had a lot of respect. I gave him encouragement because the guy’s had an amazing career. Don’t let that one blip in his career become the defining moment. I’ve lost before; it’s tough”.
Joshua no doubt has his sights on the undisputed contest between Usyk and Fury on May 18, which could well result in him facing the winner at some point and being the number one contender for the WBC title.