Anthony Joshua looks set to return to the ring in early 2026 over a year after his knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois, and recovering from a minor procedure on his elbow.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has revealed he will be “carefully” selecting a top 15 opponent for the former champion to build some momentum heading into a potential all-British super fight with Tyson Fury next summer.
Hearn told Sky Sports: “We’ve got to choose carefully for the next fight, and I think the best way in all of this is just to be honest and say the next fight will be a comeback fight to build into a roll of the dice next summer.
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“We need a top-15 guy. It’s not going to be Fury, Usyk, Dubois, all of those top guys.”
If we aren’t going to see Joshua against any of the top heavyweights before next summer, who is available for him to dust off the cobwebs and reassert himself in boxing’s blue-riband division?
Jarrell Miller
Jarrell Miller is something of a ghost from Joshua’s past. He was supposed to make his grand US debut and defend his newly unified heavyweight titles against Miller in June 2019.
Joshua revealed a different side to himself in the build-up to this fight. Miller had clearly got under Joshua’s skin, and in an interview, he revealed he wanted to hurt Miller.
Joshua said: “Look at his face. I’m going to reconstruct his face and body.
“Every ounce of his spirit. I’m going to strip him of it.”
Miller ended up failing a drug test before the fight, and this opened the door for late replacement Andy Ruiz to pull off one of the biggest upsets in boxing history – derailing Joshua’s US debut and career.
Miller does not yet have his next opponent scheduled, and it could be the perfect fight for Joshua on his return.
There is plenty of history between the two to sell the fight and get Joshua fired up. Miller is also ranked in the top 10 with the WBA and is more than capable of giving Joshua the rounds he would need to regain his momentum.
Efe Ajagba
Efe Ajagba is coming off a draw with Martin Bakole that left fans disappointed as neither man put on their best performance, but many thought the Nigerian had done enough to get the win.
This has not hampered his world title hopes, however, as the IBF have ordered him and Frank Sanchez to fight in a final eliminator for the title currently held by Oleksandr Usyk.
There is no date for the fight as yet, but if it takes place before the end of the year, then there is more than enough time for Ajagba to recover and get ready for a fight with Joshua in February.
It could also work out nicely for Joshua if Ajagba becomes the mandatory challenger for the IBF title, and he cannot make the fight with Fury. In this case, a fight with Ajagba may get him right back into the title mix.
Martin Bakole
The formerly self-proclaimed most avoided man in the division, Bakole, is in something of a rut after suffering a second-round knockout defeat to Joseph Parker, followed by a fortunate draw with Ajagba earlier this year.
But Bakole now claims to be a changed man and has promised to return to the ring at a proper fighting weight, rather than nearly 300lbs.
If this is the case it would also be an enticing fight for Joshua to take. Similar to Miller, Bakole’s robust shape and slightly unorthodox style would be an interesting puzzle for Joshua to unlock. But his overall athleticism, speed and power should be too much for Bakole in the end.
His recent form would also be something that could draw Joshua in, as Bakole is a top 15 fighter with three of the four sanctioning bodies, but is on a downturn and could be ripe for the taking.
Bakole hails from the Democratic Republic of Congo, while Joshua has Nigerian roots, opening up the possibility of the fight taking place in Africa, a scenario that has been on Joshua’s bucket list for some time.
Derek Chisora
Derek Chisora is enjoying a true Indian summer in his career after claiming two unlikely wins against Joe Joyce and Otto Wallin that have seen him shoot back into the conversation at the top of the division and become ranked second with the IBF.
After what was supposed to be part of Chisora’s farewell tour, he held up three photos of men he would like to challenge in his 50th and final fight (probably). The three men were Oleksandr Usyk, who credits Chisora as one of his hardest fights at heavyweight, Daniel Dubois and the man in question – Anthony Joshua.
The two have shared a long-standing friendship since Chisora saw Joshua walk through the doors of Finchley Amatuer Boxing club all those years ago and has affectionately referred to him as ‘little brother’.
For a time, a fight between them seemed to be more fantasy than reality – two men of different generations sharing a brief crossover. But now that Chisora has reignited a career of ups and downs, Joshua could have the honour of being the final man to share the ring with a legend of British Boxing.
Jared Anderson
Jared Anderson, once believed to be the next American heavyweight hope, is in the midst of an important rebuild in his young career after suffering a knockout loss to Martin Bakole, which saw the Congolese man steal the limelight and leave him in the wilderness.
He has since come back and beaten Marios Kollias on points in February, but there has been no news on his next move.
It would be a surprise to see Anderson go from a low-level confidence-building fight like his last, straight into a fight with a former unified champion like Joshua, but if he can get out once more this year, a fight with Joshua could be a mutually beneficial proposition.
Although Joshua would be the heavy favourite heading into the fight, Anderson has shown flashes of brilliance throughout his career thus far and would have more than enough to cause some issues for the Brit.
It could also be an opportunity for Anderson to earn back the title of the next heavyweight hope in the US and jump a few places in the queue for a world title shot.
