Anthony Joshua is on a quest to become a three-time world champion and has now named the date that he will return for his next fight as part of that ongoing mission.
Joshua is on a hot streak – after back-to-back defeats in which he lost his belts then failed to win them back against Oleksandr Usyk. The last 12 months have seen him pick up four wins, three by knockout, against Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
Speaking on the Jonathon Ross show as reported via Forbes, he was asked when he will be back in action after his most recent win.
“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 minute, I’ve got two months before I get into training camp.”
He was then 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.
“I was preparing for 10 rounds, tough fight. The guy is a big, strong guy from 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
“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 one eye on the undisputed contest between Usyk and Fury which takes place on May 18 and could well result in him facing the winner at some point.