Anthony Joshua is looking to plot his way back to the top of the heavyweight division one more time.
Joshua has been a huge star on the world scene over the last decade. His journey started soon after winning a gold medal in the London Olympics and he rose quickly through the pro ranks, collecting world honours on the way.
His first title came in 2016 when he beat Charles Martin inside two rounds for the IBF belt, and then unified against Wladimir Klitschko in an epic battle at Wembley Stadium which involved both men being knocked down.
He added the WBO title with a points win in 2018 when he was taken the distance for the first time by Joseph Parker, and since then there have been plenty of ups and downs.
In June 2019 he took his first loss when he was stopped by late stand-in Andy Ruiz, but won the belts back in a rematch later that year.
In 2021 and 2022, he went into back-to-back fights with Oleksandr Usyk and came out with no belts after losing both contests on points.
Following another rebuild he went into another world title shot against Daniel Dubois in September 2024 but was stopped inside five rounds, and is currently on the sidelines waiting to make his next move.
Speaking to The Ariel Helwani Show, it was put to Parker, who is the interim WBO champion, that a Joshua rematch was a good option now given that Usyk and Dubois are likely to pursue an undisputed fight.
“Let’s push for it. I agree. As we focus on my career, I think those three names will be next in line. I think [Joshua] would accept the fight with me. It would be a very different fight to 2018. We’re both older, maturer, wiser. The fighter that I was before, sometimes I look back and go ‘who is that guy?’”
Whoever beats Parker – who recently knocked out late replacement opponent Martin Bakole in two rounds – will become the WBO number one and first in line for a shot against current champion Usyk.
The one fight Joshua and the rest of the boxing world wanted to see was against Tyson Fury, but he retired at the end of January after his own pair of losses to Usyk.
