Anthony Joshua must decide soon whether or not to return to the ring and who to fight and where.
The fighter has not boxed since he lost to Daniel Dubois at Wembley over a year ago.
Anthony Joshua must decide soon whether or not to return to the ring and who to fight and where
According to Frank Smith, CEO of Matchroom, the next move in Anthony Joshua’s career will be decided soon. “I think with AJ, he’s had time out of the ring, the longest period he’s been out of the ring. I think he needed it. He hasn’t stopped for 12, 13 years since he turned pro.”
“For him, I think it’s been perfect just to have some time away to focus on himself while he comes back for what is probably the most important part of his career so far and the most important decision he’ll make,” Frank Smith.
With several opportunities
There has been speculation about the heavyweight’s return, with several opportunities, including Jake Paul, Tyson Fury and a fight in Ghana, being discussed. A fight against Fury is thought to take place later in 2026.
“There has been a lot of talk about offers in Ghana. I have gone to Ghana to meet with those guys and about organizing a show there, I went to the stadium in Accra,” Smith added. “It would be sensational to do an event there, like an event that would never be forgotten. Obviously, there are the big fights against someone like Tyson Fury, which we all want to see.
“And I think, look, I see that happening. I saw Frank Warren talk about it as well. Tyson Fury talking about a comeback, which is great. So I think that’s a fight we’ll see in 2026. What’s next? Let’s see. Let’s see how things go over the next week or two. I think if he’s going to come out this year, he’d have to make a decision very soon, if not early next year. But I’m sure we’ll see AJ back in the best shape of his life. He needs to be 100 percent when he gets back into this.”
The idea of staging fights in Accra, having seen it, appeals to Smith now more than ever, and if Matchroom promotes there, it might not just be for Joshua. “It’s one of those moments. Look, we’ve been lucky, and I’ve personally been lucky, to work on some incredible events over the last 16, 17 years, and moments that I’ll never forget
But walking through that stadium and also seeing an event they had done previously on a much smaller scale, thinking about 60,000 people in this stadium, in the atmosphere they would create, is one of those moments that you think would last forever, that memory. It’s not something that a year later you say: ‘do you remember?’ It would be something you would talk about for 10, 20, 30, 40 years. So it’s something I’m very interested in making happen. Obviously, it has to make sense, you know, overall. So we’ll see. But I’m very confident that very soon we’ll be doing events in Ghana with the Legacy team, whether it’s with AJ or someone else.
Smith believes AJ’s waters will become much clearer over the next week or 10 days. With Matchroom ready to reveal a batch of dates to close out the year, more pieces will be falling into place elsewhere. But Smith does not believe that the rematch between Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington is something that is on the agenda. Despite the two fighters still throwing darts at each other on social media, a return of their thrilling fight is not something immediate
“There are a lot of important conversations for next year’s events,” Smith said. “I think Leigh Wood will take another fight. We pushed for that fight. Obviously, the [Michael] Conlan fight could also be interesting. The Josh Padley fight could also be interesting for Josh Warrington. Great, great fight in Yorkshire. So, you know, a lot of options there, but the plan for Josh is to get back in the ring in January. Leigh Wood, very unlikely now.”
And the return of heavyweight Johnny Fisher will be on the Monte Carlo card on December 6, an event that Smith said: “I think it’s the best card we’ve done there.”
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