Anthony Joshua offered historic fight after missing out on Jake Paul showdown
Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua has been offered the chance to fulfill his dream of fighting in Africa after talks with Jake Paul led nowhere.
Boxing’s latest disruptor Paul made a lot of noise about a bout with the former heavyweight world champion, with the American instead opting for an exhibition fight with compatriot Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
Joshua’s boxing career has been paused by surgery on his elbow over the summer, with his return to the ring pushed back from the end of 2025 to the start of next year.
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Matchroom Boxing promoter Hearn has hinted that Joshua’s comeback fight could be hosted in Africa, following offers for an event to be staged in Ghana.
Speaking on the Flash Knockdown podcast, Hearn shared: “As the time ticks by, it’s probably more likely that we see [Joshua] in the ring again for a January/February date if I’m honest. I don’t think there’s any value in us saying it will be in December.
“He’s been travelling about a bit but he’s back in training following an elbow operation. But these big fights take time and every AJ event is a massive event. It was well publicised about the meetings that took place in Ghana over the last couple of weeks.
“There has been an offer to do a fight there and I think it would be incredible for AJ to fight in Africa. However, when you are doing site deals a lot of it depends on when the host wants to stage the show. So, if Ghana comes back and says they’d like to go in January or February, then that’s the offer.”
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith flew to Ghana in August to review the Accra Sports Stadium in the country’s capital, as well as hold talks with Ghanaian-based Legacy Sports, who have recently worked with Amir Khan in hosting events in Africa.
Capable of holding 40,000 for national team football matches, Smith remarked that the usage of the pitch could allow between ‘50,000 and 60,000’ fans to watch a Joshua fight.
Over the years Joshua has spoken about his desire to fight on the continent, with both of his parents of Nigerian descent. The Olympic gold medallist also has a tattoo showing the outline of Africa on his right arm.
As far back as 2017 Joshua told the Daily Star: “I’d like to fight in Africa. People set records and trends for others to follow and I think it would be great because Muhammad Ali did it and he’s one of the great champions we had.
“That would be class, sometime in my career. Even if it was an exhibition match – against [Wladimir] Klitschko – in 10 years’ time.”
