‘I can be in a position to fight him’: Joseph Parker hoping to land fight with Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua is expected to formally announce his next fight just about any day now, and while there’s been plenty of speculation as to who his opponent might be, Joseph Parker tells Sky Sports that he would love to get the call as he believes he’s earned that right.
“There’s a lot of people that want to fight Anthony Joshua. I feel like with what I’ve done I can be in a position to fight him,” he said. “To be honest, it’s not really about what I want and what he wants. It’s what everyone else wants and a lot of fights are happening in Saudi Arabia.”
Parker would continue on by saying if a major world title should become available due to the mandated rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, he also feels like he could be in line for that shot as well.
If that proves to be the case Parker is in a pretty good position to earn a significant payday or at least some hardware — or perhaps both. Whatever proves to be the case, Parker insists he’s ready for what’s next.
The Ring is the judge” Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois yet to be sanctioned for world title despite AJ teasing fight announcement
Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois could miss out on a world title shot next.
Anthony Joshua and Dubois have held talks over a huge showdown at Wembley Stadium on September 21, in a fight which was expected to be for the IBF world title.
Oleksandr Usyk currently holds the belt and was set to be stripped, but has filed an exception, to try and keep hold of the belt until his December 21 rematch with Tyson Fury.
Irrespective of the ruling, it looked likely that things would be settled before the fight in order to discover whether they will be fighting for world glory.
But according to IBF, who were contacted by Sky Sports, they are yet to receive any official request for the all-British event to be sanctioned for their heavyweight title.
A press conference is scheduled in London for June 26, which would now give teams limited time to receive world title sanctioning for the clash.
Joshua suggested his future will be made clear on social media, posting on Instagram: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight! Feeling motivated.”
Talks were underway to settle the best of British with ‘Dynamite’ after he stopped Filip Hrgovic to become clear IBF mandatory challenger.
But there were also other options in the running, including Zhilei Zhang who defeated Deontay Wilder with a brutal KO.
Joseph Parker has also issued a call-out to AJ, and is plotting revenge after his points defeat to the former Olympian in March 2018.
He said: “There’s a lot of people that want to fight Anthony Joshua. I feel like with what I’ve done I can be in a position to fight him.
“To be honest, it’s not really about what I want and what he wants. It’s what everyone else wants and a lot of fights are happening in Saudi Arabia.
“You never know how things are going to unfold. So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.
“But you’ve got Anthony Joshua. I let whatever happens happen and whatever fights they lock, they lock in and I’m ready for whoever.”
Joshua is in a rich vein of form having beaten Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou with vicious KOs since teaming up with new trainer Ben Davison.
He will be hoping for his following fight in 2025 to be a shot at the winner of Usyk’s rematch with Fury, irrespective of his next opponent in September.
“Survive Two Rounds And He Wins” Derek Chisora Predicts Anthony Joshua-Daniel Dubois
Anthony Joshua boxes in Wembley Stadium once more this September and his opponent looks likely to be 26-year-old Daniel Dubois.
The Olympic Gold Medalist and two-time world champion is on a run of four victories since losing his unified titles to Oleksandr Usyk, who now holds all four belts after also beating Tyson Fury.
Joshua may be given a lifeline in the form of the IBF strap, which may go vacant given Usyk won’t be facing mandatory challenger Dubois since he has a rematch with Fury.
That makes an ‘AJ’-‘DDD’ bout for the belt a potential.
Speaking to Boxing King Media, heavyweight stalwart Derek Chisora gave his opinion on the fight, speaking as fighter who is both friends with Joshua and backed by his company, 258 Management.
“The problem right now with Daniel is he going so much confidence by stopping Jarrell Miller, stopping Hrgovic, so he’s gonna go in the with so much confidence, arrive at Wembley with so much confidence.
What we have to do at 258 is shut his confidence down in the first two rounds. We can’t warm up with him and try and do anything, we have to just close his confidence down quick because if he gets momentum he’ll win the fight.”
Joshua and team have a press conference scheduled for June 26 to confirm and officially announce the Wembley show. Whilst Dubois is a clear frontrunner to fill the opposite corner, promoter Eddie Hearn hasn’t ruled out the likes of Zhilei Zhang or Joseph Parker.
Parker: I deserve rematch No request to IBF to sanction Daniel Dubois world title fight
The IBF has confirmed to Sky Sports that it has not received a request to sanction Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois as an IBF world heavyweight title fight; Former WBO champion Joseph Parker believes he deserves an AJ rematch after his wins over Zhilei Zhang and Deontay Wilder
Anthony Joshua has revealed that he is close to confirming the opponent for his upcoming bout.
Joshua, who has boxed once so far in 2024 when he knocked out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou, said: “Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight. Feeling motivated.”
It has been widely speculated that fellow Briton Daniel Dubois could be in the frame to fight Joshua.
Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic at the start of this month to win an interim title from the IBF.
But the IBF confirmed to Sky Sports that it has not received a request to sanction Joshua vs Dubois as an IBF world heavyweight title fight.
Trending
After beating Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk holds all four of the major heavyweight world championships, including the IBF.
There are other contenders also vying to take on Anthony Joshua. Zhilei Zhang, who defeated Deontay Wilder on the same bill as Dubois’ victory over Hrgovic, would relish boxing AJ. He lost to the Watford man at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Another fighter though gunning for a rematch with Joshua is Joseph Parker, who will be making an announcement on Wednesday.
Former WBO champion Parker lost his title to Joshua in 2018. But the New Zealander has been in excellent form recently, beating both Wilder and Zhang.
Parker told Sky Sports: “I’ve been boxing 11 to 12 years and I’ve found what works for me, the formula I’ve got, Andy Lee head trainer, George Lockhart and the work that we’ve been doing together. It’s been a grind ever since we’ve linked up the three of us. But everything is working very well and whatever we’re doing we want to keep it up.”
He thinks he now deserves a second bout with Joshua.
“There’s a lot of people that want to fight Anthony Joshua. I feel like with what I’ve done I can be in a position to fight him,” he said.
But he added: “To be honest, it’s not really about what I want and what he wants. It’s what everyone else wants and a lot of fights are happening in Saudi Arabia.
Usyk and Fury are due to fight in December. If titles do become vacant, Parker thinks he ought to be in the fame to fight for a world championship this year.
“I hope so,” he said. “With the belts all being [held by the] undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, there’s a rematch clause in place, but again these things may or may not happen.
“You never know how things are going to unfold,” he continued. “So we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. But you’ve got Anthony Joshua… I let whatever happens happen and whatever fights they lock, they lock in and I’m ready for whoever.”
Hall Of Famer Says Daniel Dubois Still ‘Has Quit In Him’ Ahead Of Anthony Joshua Fight
Daniel Dubois is in prime position for another world title shot at just 26-years-old.
The Brit’s recent win over Filip Hrgovic, a fight stopped on cuts to the Croatian, granted him the IBF Interim World Title.
That sanctioning body is currently deciding on whether or not to force current undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk to vacate its belt given he won’t be fulfilling his mandatory challenge, instead rematching Tyson Fury later this year.
If the belt is made vacant, Dubois would be fighting for it against the next top contender. That is one Anthony Joshua, and the pair are potentially set to meet at Wembley Stadium this September.
Hall of Fame fighter and manager Barry McGuigan – whose son Shane trained Dubois for a period – spoke to Seconds Out about the match-up, backing ‘AJ’ as favourite.
“The thing about Dubois, Dubois can punch so hard it only takes a split second. You give him the opportunity … anybody he hits he can knock them out. Having said that, Joshua’s the favourite, but you’ve got to give Dubois a chance with anybody.”
“He was losing I thought to Hrgovic. Hrgovic was beating him comprehensively and then that cut happened and it was all over. But, he’s got a tremendous punch.”
“Joshua’s a more complete fighter, he’s better all-round, he can box and fight. I definitely think that Joshua will be too much for him, but [Daniel] has a puncher’s chance.”
Whilst the younger man has done well in his last two fights to answer any questions of a lack of heart or grit in the ring, brought on by taking a knee against Joe Joyce from a severe eye injury and missing the count against Usyk for another stoppage loss, McGuigan still has questions.
“It seems to me that when he gets in to a critical situation, when he gets tired, dare I say it there’s a bit of quit in him. I don’t want to be unfair just because he left the gym, I’m just being honest. You look at the fight against Usyk and the fight against Joe Joyce, similar circumstances.
People said he quit. He had an eye injury against Joyce and he got out-schooled by Usyk… But he had him down. There’s a pretty high standard that he’s keeping up to, but I think Joshua is a favourite. In heavyweight boxing it only takes a second of a lack of concentration.”
“Show Me The Money” Anthony Joshua: He’ll Return To ‘Break’ Former Heavyweight Champion Says .
Two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua‘s impressive run of form means he is talk of the heavyweight division once more.
‘AJ’s rise to the top of the sport from Olympic gold medalist in London 2012 to world heavyweight title holder in 2016 was a swift one with no bumps in the road. He continued to dominate in ensuing years by adding the WBO and WBA title to his list of accolades.
In 2019, however, late stand-in opponent Andy Ruiz Jr derailed the Brit by securing a historic upset win. Joshua soon snatched back his belts with an impressive 12-round display in the rematch but, after a couple more successful defences, he went on to lose back-to-back fights with the now undisputed king Oleksandr Usyk.
Since then Joshua has turned things around once more. Despite being written off by so many in the sport, he has now had four wins on the bounce, three of them knockouts against Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
However, that is not enough to have impressed former heavyweight champion Riddick Bowe. Speaking to The Porter Way podcast, he claimed he would have beaten Joshua with no problem whatsoever.
“In my prime, Anthony Joshua, he wouldn’t fight. I’d break him up something proper. Five rounds. And I tell you what. If you give me enough money I will come out of retirement and show you. Show me the money.”
Bowe was an undisputed heavyweight champion in his prime, still the last man from the US to do it, and is remembered for a thrilling trilogy with Evander Holyfield in which he won two and lost one – his only pro defeat. Despite his bluster, there is zero chance of a fight with Joshua.
‘It will be even worse’ – Oleksandr Usyk teammate beaten by David Benavidez sends warning to Tyson Fury
Oleksandr Gvozdyk doesn’t fancy Tyson Fury’s chances in a rematch with his teammate, Oleksandr Usyk.
‘The Gypsy King’ suffered his first professional defeat when he clashed with Usyk for the undisputed WBC, WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight championship in Saudi Arabia last month.
A second bout between the pair has been scheduled for December 21.
However, Gvozdyk thinks it will be one-sided in Usyk’s favour.
“I think it will be even worse for Fury in the rematch,” he said.
“I know Usyk – once he catches you, he won’t let you go. Usyk is going to be even more confident in the next fight. Fury is better off fighting Anthony Joshua.
“The first fight was just a brilliant performance. He beat Fury everywhere, in and out of the ring.
“Fury likes to play mind games; in this case, it was the complete opposite. I think Usyk got in his head. I didn’t see Fury as confident as before when he was a killer and super-confident.
“With Usyk, he was trying to do the same, but you can see in his eyes and by his mimics that he’s different and nervous. He was nervous in the ring. Usyk is the well-deserved No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
Gvozdyk, who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, began his career with 17 consecutive wins, which included a WBC light heavyweight title victory over Adonis Stevenson.
Since then, the Ukrainian has struggled when matched against the best.
Artur Beterbiev spoiled his undefeated record with a tenth-round TKO in 2019.
After three comeback wins, Gvozdyk fought another top boxer, David Benavidez, on Saturday night.
The former WBC super middleweight champion made it look easy as he cruised to a unanimous decision win over Usyk’s pal in his light heavyweight debut.
At 37 years old, Gvozdyk’s future in the sport looks uncertain after a second loss.
Whatever happens, he’s confident that Usyk will continue to fly the flag for their shared homeland. Firstly, by beating Fury and then by taking on whoever is next in line at heavyweight.
“He Won’t Fight Me Now” Most Avoided All time winner ‘Destroyed’ Anthony Joshua In Sparring
Anthony Joshua has a target on his back once more having got himself back into contention for world titles.
For many years, Joshua was the poster boy of British boxing and one of the biggest draws in the sport. His progression from Olympic champion to world honours was fast and he then went on to become unified at an exciting time in the banner division.
What was meant to be his grand arrival into the US market however was scuppered by Andy Ruiz Jr who sensationally stopped ‘AJ’ in Madison Square Garden in 2019. Though the Brit successfully won back his titles and had a few more defences, he was then dethroned by the now undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk and suffered the same fate in the rematch.
After putting together four wins, three of which have been back-to-back knockouts over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou, it is now thought that Joshua will fight for a world title later in the year. The man in the opposite corner could be Daniel Dubois who became IBF interim champion after he defeated Flip Hrgovic on June 1.
Speaking to iFL TV, a former sparring partner of both, Martin Bakole, was asked how those sessions went.
“I smashed them. I destroyed them in the gym. That’s the reason why they don’t want to fight me.”
He then gave his view of the potential fight between the two.
“That’s a good fight, a 50-50 for me, they don’t have a boxing brain but they are strong and can box but no boxing brain like Martin Bakole. Good luck to both but I would smash them.”
Bakole – whose trainer and promoter believe is the ‘most avoided man’ in the division and has the beating of all the rest – faces young American knockout artist Jared Anderson on August 3, in what many are predicting will be the toughest test of Bakole’s career so far.
Joshua and Dubois could clash for the vacant IBF title if reigning champion Usyk is stripped of his belt for not fulfilling mandatory duties.
Iron Mike has got himself, says: I want to fight Joshua, says Mike Tyson
BOXING legend Mike Tyson is eyeing a shock showdown with Anthony Joshua.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion is set to return to the ring in November for a controversial crossover clash with Jake Paul.
Iron Mike has got himself in tip-top shape for his first foray to the ring since his Covid clash with Roy Jones Jr in November 2020.
And the International Boxing Hall of Famer, 57, has grand plans to share the ring with Joshua – albeit in a charity bout.
When asked about the prospect of sharing the ring with AJ for a good cause, he told TMZ, “I’m very interested.
“If doing that means we can have a bigger charity exponent, well so be it, I’m down to do that, too.
“I would love to (fight Joshua). That would be mind-blowing.”
Before he can think of a charity clash with Joshua, Tyson must first get through YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – who will be 31 years his junior on fight night.
And former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua admits he has concerns for Tyson’s health.
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, the 34-year-old said, “He’s (Mike Tyson) older now.
“I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul because of youth – that’s the only thing.”
The booking of Tyson vs Paul sparked outrage in the boxing community, with fans publicly venting their disgust at the latter.
But Joshua, surprisingly, is a fan of Paul’s gimmick-driven fights.
“He can’t stay ” In rescheduled bout Mike Tyson, 57, wants to fight A J if he knocks out Jake Paul
The former undisputed heavyweight champion is set to return to the ring in November for a controversial crossover clash with Jake Paul.
Iron Mike has got himself in tip-top shape for his first foray to the ring since his Covid clash with Roy Jones Jr in November 2020.
And the International Boxing Hall of Famer, 57, has grand plans to share the ring with Joshua – albeit in a charity bout.
When asked about the prospect of sharing the ring with AJ for a good cause, he told TMZ: “I’m very interested.
“If doing that means we can have a bigger charity exponent, well so be it, I’m down to do that, too.
“I would love to [fight Joshua]. That would be mind-blowing.”
Before he can think of a charity clash with AJ, Tyson must first get through YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – who will be 31 YEARS his junior on fight night.
And former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua admits he has concerns for Tyson’s health.
During an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show, the 34-year-old said: “He’s [Mike Tyson] older now.
“I pray that he comes out healthy. I think Jake Paul because of youth – that’s the only thing.”
The booking of Tyson vs Paul sparked outrage in the boxing community, with fans publicly venting their disgust at the latter.
But Joshua, surprisingly, is a fan of Paul’s gimmick-driven fights.
He said: “I personally think it’s really good.
“I think the boxing hardcores, they don’t like it because they think, ‘Why are they disrespecting our sport?’
“But I think that person brings all these people into boxing which benefits everyone else. Everyone viewing helps.”
Tyson and Paul were due to trade blows on July 20 but their Texas tussle was pushed back to November 15 following a medical emergency for the former.
Joshua, meanwhile, was last in action in March, brutally knocking out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the second round of their Saudi showdown.
