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Anthony Joshua wants ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ as British star

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Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua wants ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ as British star mulls over Jake Paul bout

Anthony Joshua is considering a fight in Africa as he mulls over his next move with his team jetting out to Ghana to assess options.

The British heavyweight’s reps flew out to Accra this week to take a look at venues and hold talks about staging a fight there. But it is only one of a number of options on the table for the Watford warrior. Joshua is also in talks with YouTube motormouth Jake Paul.

Jake Paul Anthony Joshua

 

JUST IN: ‘They think he’s easy!: Anthony Joshua’s fall from grace co

The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist is on the comeback trail after a shock knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois last September. Joshua, whose parents are Nigerian, has long had an ambition to fight in Africa and bring big-time boxing to the continent.

Matchroom Boxing CEO Frank Smith and Joshua’s manager Freddie Cunningham visited the 40,000- capacity Accra Sports Stadium on Tuesday.

Tony Yoka – who controversially beat Joe Joyce to win gold at Rio 2016 – has been mooted as a potential opponent if Joshua chooses to fight in Africa. Martin Bakole, from the Democratic Republic of Congo but based in Scotland, is another potential foe.

Frenchman Yoka recently signed with Queensberry Promotions and will have his debut with them in the coming weeks.

But he would be eager to be Joshua’s next opponent and will be ready to go late in 2025 or next year. While Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn’s new friendship means politics won’t be a problem.

Joshua is weighing up all his options. A fight with boxing novice but social media star Paul would be a lucrative option, even if it would offer little or no test.

While former world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion Andre Ward called him out for a fight earlier this week.

Ward has been retired since 2017 and has never boxed at heavyweight so it would unlikely at this stage despite Joshua responding positively on social media.

Joshua, 35, is planning for a fight early in 2026 as he recovers from an operation on his elbow. He went under the knife in May and had previously hoped to fight in December but 2026 might be more realistic.

Joshua still has hopes of facing Tyson Fury next year but he is waiting to see if the Gypsy King will step out of his retirement to return to the ring.

Fury has not fought since he was outpointed by Oleksandr Usyk for a second time last December and is also targeting a third fight with the Ukrainian.

Joshua also has two defeats against Usyk on his record but he is targeting a strong finish to his career before calling it a day next year.

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BOXING

EXCLUSIVE: Deontay Wilder positions for a huge

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Deontay Wilder

EXCLUSIVE: Deontay Wilder positions for a huge fight in 2026 

Deontay Wilder’s manager, Shelly Finkel, updated WBN on what the former WBC heavyweight champion plans to do following the restart of his career.

Wilder defeated Tyrrell Herndon in June at the Charles Koch Arena in Wichita, Kansas, stopping the rot of two straight defeats.

With losses against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang firmly in the rear-view mirror, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is sticking to an agreed blueprint that opens the door for a massive encounter in the coming year.

Deontay Wilder Usyk Joshua

JUST IN: “It Was Ludicrous”: Bob Arum Told Floyd Mayweather To His Face

Wilder’s Comeback Plan
Finkel confirmed that the 39-year-old is targeting a blockbuster showdown with either Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk, but only after one more fight this year. Wilder is already plotting his next move in a bid to climb back into the title mix.

“The plan is for Deontay to have another fight before the end of this year,” Finkel exclusively told World Boxing News. “After that, we will be looking for a big fight in 2026.”

Pressed on what “big fight” meant, Finkel didn’t hesitate, saying, “We’d be looking at a fight with Anthony Joshua or Usyk, something like that,” he said.

While the hard-hitting ex-world titleholder holds links to several names since returning to the win column, including Jarrell Miller in September, Finkel refused to get drawn into confirming or denying the speculation.

The New Yorker wouldn’t entertain reports that Wilder spurned the chance to face Miller as part of Canelo vs Crawford fight week.

A Big Fight in 2026
Wilder’s destructive win over Herndon, his first victory in over three years, has breathed fresh life into his career, with the Alabama puncher now seeking to end his storied run on a high.

If Finkel’s two-fight game plan holds, Wilder’s next fight will serve as a tune-up for a final push toward one of the sport’s most lucrative heavyweight clashes, against either British superstar Joshua or undisputed ruler Usyk.

Both potential opponents are on separate paths at present, but with the heavyweight landscape constantly shifting, Wilder’s name is once again firmly back in the conversation for the division’s biggest nights.

WBN expects a minor step-up from Herndon before a much sterner test comes into play for the knockout artist in the spring or summer of 2026.

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BOXING

“It Was Ludicrous”: Bob Arum Told Floyd Mayweather To His Face

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Bob Arum Floyd Mayweather

Bob Arum Told Floyd Mayweather To His Face That He Really Lost One Fight

Legendary promoter Bob Arum has revealed that he once told Floyd Mayweather face-to-face that he believed the former pound-for-pound star actually lost one of his fights.

‘Money Mayweather remained unbeaten throughout the course of his exceptional professional career, where he captured world titles across no less than five weight divisions before his retirement in 2017.Bob Arum Told Floyd Mayweather To His Face That He Really Lost One Fight: “It Was Ludicrous”

He shared the ring with an abundance of generational greats along the way, defeating the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Miguel Cotto, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao to name just a few.

After he defeated MMA fighter Conor McGregor in their monumental crossover showdown back in 2017, Mayweather would announce his retirement from the sport with an unblemished record of 50-0 to his name.

During the early part of his career, he worked alongside Arum and Top Rank, and in a sensational claim made by hall of fame promoter Arum, he once revealed details of a conversation that he had with Mayweather after the five-division world champion faced Mexico’s Jose Luis Castillo in 2002, reportedly said to Floyd in the ring:

“I’m sorry, you lost.”

He then criticised the judges.

“This is ludicrous, how could two judges give Mayweather the 12th round? How could that happen?”

After a competitive battle between Mayweather and Castillo, which took place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas back in April of 2002, all three judges scored it unanimously in favour of the American, sparking outrage amongst fans and analysts in attendance.

It had been argued that Castillo had done more than enough to be declared the winner and hand Mayweather the first defeat of his professional career, but it wasn’t to be for the man they called ‘El Temible’.

A rematch between the duo took place just eight months later, although it was more of a comprehensive performance from Mayweather this time around, as he coasted to yet another unanimous decision victory over Castillo to successfully defend his WBC lightweight title for the first time.

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