Anthony Joshua has suggested that he will retire from boxing this year.
The 35-year-old has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in the fifth round at Wembley last September.
Joshua required elbow surgery after his defeat to Dubois and the two-time unified heavyweight champion does not have another opponent lined up, although his promoter, Eddie Hearn, has held talks over a possible fight with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
Boxing fans are also holding out hope of Joshua finally facing Tyson Fury, who announced his retirement from boxing in January after his rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk the previous month.
However, in a post on Instagram on Friday night, Joshua paid tribute to his promotional team Matchroom Boxing, who have managed him since his professional debut in 2013, but said his ‘last punch’ will be thrown this year.
‘Shout to Matchroom Boxing for all you have done for me and continue to do for me,’ Joshua wrote.
‘Long may you reign supreme and keep giving fighters opportunities to become champions and make boxing great.
’12 years ago, I signed with you and 12 years later I will throw my last punch with you.
‘Royalty and loyalty is a perfect match for the great good. A toast to another 100 years of Matchroom Boxing
‘And to finish on this… If I could start from scratch, I wouldn’t change shit.’
Speaking after Usyk’s dominant victory over Dubois at Wembley last Saturday, Hearn revealed that Joshua would agree to a fight with Paul.
‘It sounds like AJ is going to fight Jake Paul. If he’s [Paul] true to his word, the fight will happen,’ Hearn said in an interview with The Stomping Ground.
‘It’s great that Tyson Fury is saying that Jake Paul is going to win.
‘I mean, maybe I’ve just lost my mind but if they truly want that fight, I reached out to Nakisa [Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions] earlier and we’re going to have a chat next week.
‘If they truly want the fight we can make, actually, the fight that does the biggest numbers in the sport. Forget Canelo vs Terence Crawford that doesn’t even touch the surface of – and I can’t believe I’m saying it – of AJ against Jake Paul.
‘If you want to do the biggest numbers in the sport we’ll make it happen but please, be careful what you wish for.
‘This isn’t a game, this isn’t a YouTube video, this isn’t numbers, this isn’t algorithms, this is physically dangerous. So if you want to do it, be careful. But we will do it.
‘We’ve always said, ‘yeah of course we do it’, but I just didn’t think anyone would even give it the credibility.
‘I’m not going to argue about it. I’m just telling you and I’m telling Jake Paul, this is very dangerous. So if you’re for real, just understand the consequences that come with a fight like this.
‘Ask Francis Ngannou who, in my opinion, would destroy Jake Paul.
‘But good luck to the man, if you’re game and you want to roll the dice, we’re ready.’
