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RISING heavyweight star Moses Itauma could face Otto Wallin or Jermaine Franklin – two former Anthony Joshua opponents – in his next outing, says manager Francis Warren.

The ferocious wrecking machine returned to action on Saturday, twice dropping former American footballer Mike Balogun before halting proceedings with a stunning second-round finish.

In doing so, Itauma, 12-0 (10 KOs), has now earned himself a number-one ranking with the WBO, putting a potential world title shot well within reach.

But before that, the 20-year-old must first prove himself against a mid-tier heavyweight, with both Wallin and Franklin representing sterner assignments than Balogun.

Of the two, Wallin is perhaps best known to British fight fans, as his outing with Tyson Fury, in particular, catapulted him into the spotlight back in 2019.

And to his credit, the Swedish southpaw gave a strong account of himself in their 12-round encounter after opening a horrendous cut above his opponent’s right eye.

Against Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), though, Wallin found himself getting cleaned out inside five rounds, before producing a far more negative display against Derek Chisora last February.

Franklin, meanwhile, took ‘AJ’ the distance – while also losing a unanimous decision – in 2023, just a few months after suffering a highly contentious points defeat to Dillian Whyte.

But still, both he and Wallin have proven themselves to be a tricky night’s work in previous performances, often displaying a level of ambition while occupying the away corner.

Either fighter could therefore step up to face dynamic puncher Itauma who, according to Warren, is set for an Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois 2 undercard clash on July 19.

“I think Otto Wallin would be a great fight for him next,” Warren told BoxNation.

“Otto’s proven himself to be a very durable, tough opponent, who garners respect from the boxing community because of the work he’s done against Tyson [Fury] and Anthony [Joshua].

“For Moses – who wants to get rounds in – that’s probably a great shout. Jermaine Franklin’s another one that I particularly like the look of.”

Anthony Joshua is hopeful of one day sharing the ring with Tyson Fury despite ‘The Gypsy King’ insisting he will remain retired.

On Saturday, Fury told his 6.7million Instagram followers that he is ‘happy’ and ‘content’ with his decision to hang up his gloves.

Hours later, AJ took to Snapchat to upload a picture of himself watching Fury box, with the caption: “One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury called time on his career in January following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

However, a series of social media posts suggested he could be on the verge of a comeback.

Last week, he revealed he was attending a ‘business meeting’ with his father, John Fury.

And one month prior, he had uploaded a video of himself and long-time trainer SugarHill Steward in the gym together.

But Fury put an end to the speculation over the weekend while on holiday with his wife, Paris Fury.

“Good morning, people,” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy.

“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what? “I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.

“I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”

British boxing fans have been clamouring to see Fury and Joshua exchange leather for the best part of 9 years.

The pair have been in negotiations several times, but nothing has ever come to fruition.

The closest they came to sharing the ring together was four years ago when the Brits held all four major sanctioning body belts between them.

Both parties reached an agreement for a two-fight deal, with the first meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.

However, a judge in a US court ruled that Deontay Wilder was entitled to a third fight with Fury, thus derailing their plans.

The fight is said to make the fighters £100 million

Anthony Joshua will not give up on an all-English battle in the ring with Tyson Fury – even with Fury doubling down on his retirement.

Fury, 36, hung up his gloves for the fifth time in January, weeks after his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

But AJ is not so sure The Gypsy King is done for good, and is confident their long overdue fight will come to fruition.

The pair could make close to £100million each for the Battle of Britain

ANTHONY JOSHUA is refusing to give up on a Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury – despite his rival’s doubling down on retirement.

Fury, 36, called time on his career for a FIFTH TIME in January just weeks after his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk.

The Wythenshawe warrior, unsurprisingly, performed a U-turn late last month but has since doubled down on his latest hanging up of the gloves.

But AJ isn’t buying what The Gypsy King is selling and is confident their long overdue domestic dust-up will come to fruition.

Along with a picture of himself watching a Fury fight, he wrote on his private Snapchat: “One of these days it’ll be standing in the opposite corner.

“Ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury and Joshua have been on a collision course for over a decade but have yet to share the ring.

They agreed a massive two-fight deal in 2020, with the contests set to take place the following year.

But the mammoth melees were scuppered when former long-time WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder won his arbitration for a trilogy fight with Fury.

 Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

AJ and Fury will bag one last huge payday and finally settle the long-raging debate over who is the better man if a post-prime punch-up comes to fruition.

But Morecambe millionaire Fury, who still believes he was robbed of becoming the undisputed king of the heavyweights, insists he has nothing left to prove.

He said: “I hear a lot of talk about the Gypsy King returning to boxing and I ask this question: for what?

“What would I return for

“More belts? I’ve won 22 of them.

“I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I have achieved and accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again.

“And this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.”

He added: “I’m in no rush at all, to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question.

“I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for.”

Anthony Joshua is hopeful of one day sharing the ring with Tyson Fury despite ‘The Gypsy King’ insisting he will remain retired.

On Saturday, Fury told his 6.7million Instagram followers that he is ‘happy’ and ‘content’ with his decision to hang up his gloves.

Hours later, AJ took to Snapchat to upload a picture of himself watching Fury box, with the caption: “One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually.”

Fury called time on his career in January following back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.

However, a series of social media posts suggested he could be on the verge of a comeback.

Last week, he revealed he was attending a ‘business meeting’ with his father, John Fury.

And one month prior, he had uploaded a video of himself and long-time trainer SugarHill Steward in the gym together.

But Fury put an end to the speculation over the weekend while on holiday with his wife, Paris Fury.

“Good morning, people,” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy.

“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what?

“What would I return for? More belts? I’ve won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I’ve done, what I have achieved and what I have accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.

“I’m in no rush at all to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”

British boxing fans have been clamouring to see Fury and Joshua exchange leather for the best part of 9 years.

The pair have been in negotiations several times, but nothing has ever come to fruition.

The closest they came to sharing the ring together was four years ago when the Brits held all four major sanctioning body belts between them.

Both parties reached an agreement for a two-fight deal, with the first meeting set to take place in Saudi Arabia in August 2021.

However, a judge in a US court ruled that Deontay Wilder was entitled to a third fight with Fury, thus derailing their plans.

Anthony Joshua Keeps the Dream Alive, Believing the All-British Superfight With Tyson Fury Will Happen

Boxing fans have been teased many times about Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury superfight, and it has been postponed as many times. Both men have held heavyweight titles, both have massive followings, and both have been talking about fighting each other for what feels like a decade. The all-British showdown represents everything boxing fans want – two genuine superstars from the same country settling who’s the real king of the heavyweight division.

The heavyweight landscape of boxing looked very different when this fight first became a realistic possibility. Joshua was coming off his stunning knockout of Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in 2017, establishing himself as boxing’s next big thing. Fury had just returned from his mental health struggles and addiction battles, looking to reclaim his spot at the top after beating Deontay Wilder. Both men seemed destined to meet in the ring, with promoters rubbing their hands together at the thought of the massive payday it would generate.

Anthony Joshua Hopes To One Day Face Tyson Fury

Multiple times over the years, Joshua and Fury have gotten close to signing contracts. Each time, something went wrong at the last minute. Sometimes it was money disputes, sometimes it was timing issues, and sometimes it was other mandatory fights getting in the way.

Joshua hasn’t let these setbacks kill his optimism though. Recent social media posts show he still believes the Fury fight will happen someday. His persistence is admirable, even if it sometimes feels like wishful thinking given how many times this fight has fallen through before.

“One of these days, it will be me standing in the opposite corner, ready and fully charged spiritually,” wrote Joshua via his Snapchat.

 Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

The problem is that both fighters aren’t the same men they were when this superfight first became possible. Joshua has suffered crushing defeats to Andy Ruiz and consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. He also recently lost to Daniel Dubois. Fury has also shown cracks in his armor. He lost back tp back fights against Usyk. Neither man is getting younger, and the clock keeps ticking on what was once considered an inevitable collision course.

Meanwhile, Fury does not share his countryman’s zeal to fighr. In a recent post, he insisted that he was staying retired from boxing. He revealed that there was no reason for him to return, even if a superfight with Joshua was in the books. Still, boxing has a funny way of making dream fights happen when fans least expect them. Maybe that’s what keeps Joshua posting about Fury on social media, holding onto the belief that their paths will finally cross. Whether this particular dream becomes reality or remains forever a “what if” story might depend on how much fight both men have left in them.

Tyson Fury has confirmed he is ‘happy’ and ‘content’ with his achievements in boxing and ultimately staying retired.

Fury hung up his gloves in January this year after losing his second consecutive bout to Oleksandr Usyk.

‘The Gypsy King’ has since teased a return to the ring multiple times, but has now put speculation to bed while on holiday with his wife, Paris Fury.

“Good morning people,” he said from a beautiful view of Lake Como in Italy on Saturday.

“I hear a lot of talk about ‘The Gypsy King’ returning to boxing and I ask this question first of all: for what?

“What would I return for? More belts? I’ve won 22 of them. I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I’ve done, what I have achieved and what I have accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again, and here we are, this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.

“I’m in no rush at all, to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question. So here we are, I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for. God bless you all, and see you on the other side.”

Last month, Fury shook the boxing world when he recorded himself alongside longtime trainer SugarHill Steward in the gym.

He fuelled the fire further this month by posting a clip of him and his dad, John Fury, heading to a ‘business meeting’.

But it all seems to be one big act from ‘The Gypsy King’ who clearly enjoys the talk surrounding his return.

Fury’s update completely derails any hope that he is coming back to face fellow British rival Anthony Joshua.

The pair have gone back and forth for over a decade now and been locked into negotiations on several occasions to no avail.

They came closest to fighting back in 2020 when both men held all four major heavyweight titles between them.

But, a U.S. judge ruled in court that Deontay Wilder was due a trilogy bout with Fury, and this led to the all-British epic showdown being scrapped.

Matchroom Sport Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, was confident the fight can be easily made when speaking to talkSPORT at the end of April

“I do [think it can be easily made],” he said. “In the past, it’s always been: one’s a champion, one’s a challenger.

“Now, both guys are in a similar position: they’re coming off a defeat… Fury has two defeats, both to Oleksandr Usyk.

 Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

“They’re both still pretty much in their prime, and as we saw last Saturday, sometimes you don’t need the world championship belt.

“Sometimes when you’ve got two champions trying to become undisputed, it’s a little bit cagey.

“[Conor] Benn vs [Chris] Eubank Jr was just a great example of two guys that just went to war, and that’s exactly what you’d get with AJ against Fury.”

Joshua was shockingly knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium last September.

This came six months after ‘AJ’ brutally finished former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the ring.

Joshua is set to undergo surgery, which is said to have a six-to-eight-week healing process.

Dubois, meanwhile, fights Usyk for the chance to become the first British undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis at Wembley on July 19.

Tyson Fury insists he’s STAYING retired in huge blow to boxing fans after Anthony Joshua fight appeared to finally be on

The Gypsy King continues to flip flop on retirement

TYSON FURY insists he is staying retired and will not return to boxing for the people who “rumped” him.

The 36-year-old hung up his gloves after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk last year.

But the offer of an overdue mega-money Anthony Joshua fight remains on the table.

Saudi Arabia funded both of those iconic Usyk showdowns and would fund the mouthwatering AJ rivalry.

But the Morecambe millionaire seems to still be seething at his consecutive points defeats to the Ukraine king and has floored talks of a return.

Referring to himself in the third person, from a stunning Lake Como balcony in Italy, he said: “I hear a lot of talk about the Gypsy King returning to boxing and I ask this question: for what?

“What would I return for?

“More belts? I’ve won 22 of them.

“I’ve been rumped, that’s it, fair play to them, they got their use out of me.

“But I’m happy, I am happy, content with what I have achieved and accomplished.

“I’ve been around the world and back again.

“And this is what retirement looks like for the Gypsy King, not too shabby.”

 Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua

Confusing reports from the Joshua camp suggest the 35-year-old has just signed a two-fight deal with the Saudis – with a fight coming before the end of the year – but requires surgery on an elbow injury.

All signs seem to point to Fury – who has shared social media clips of himself running and training again – finally coming face-to-face with the London 2012 legend.

But he insists the gym sessions are simply to keep his physical and mental health in check.

And that the fantasy all-English fight will never happen.

He said: “I’m in no rush at all, to come back to boxing and get my face punched in.

“For what? What would I return for? I ask that question.

“I am retired and I am staying retired.

“I have nothing to prove to anybody and nothing to return for.”

Anthony Joshua Didn’t Hesitate When Asked If Daniel Dubois Shot On Oleksandr Usyk Was Low

Anthony Joshua has been up close and personal with both Daniel Dubois and Oleksandr Uysk.

Joshua was a two-time world champion when he stepped into the ring with Usyk back in 2021. Their first fight was a close-fought and technical 12-round battle that saw the Ukraine former cruiserweight king come away with three of the four world title belts.

He then defended them with another 12-round points win in the rematch in 2022. In August 2023 Usyk stepped in with young puncher Dubois and was put down in round five from a body shot that was immediately and controversially ruled low by the referee. Usyk was given all the time he needed to recover, which he did and then managed to push on to get a KO win in the 9th round.

After that, he beat Tyson Fury on points to become undisputed but had to vacate the IBF belt before a rematch with the Gyspy King, which he also won.

In the meantime, Dubios picked up the IBF belt after beating Filip Hrgovic by knockout, then followed it up with a five-round demolition of Joshua to set up the rematch with Usyk on July 19 at Wembley Stadium and a shot at undisputed honours.

Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua

Speaking on BoxNation, ‘AJ’ was pushed for his view on whether or not the shot that saw Usyk hit the canvas for the only time in his career was legal or low.

“Probably legal. It’s a fight, you get hit, you get hit round the belt, round the leg. He got hit and he went down. Legal.”

Dubois will be hoping to do better the second time around in front of a home crowd. Whichever man prevails, Joseph Parker and Derek Chisora will both be waiting close by for their mandatory shot at the WBO and IBF belts respectively, while Agit Kabayal is a number one ranked contender who will also be hoping for his own tilt at his first full world title.

Deontay Wilder could still fight Anthony Joshua if he gets his career back on track.

That’s according to Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, who says it’s realistically all or nothing for Wilder now.

Wilder has the chance to revive his career when he faces Tyrrell Herndon in Kansas next month.

‘The Bronze Bomber’ has looked a shadow of his former hardest-hitting self in the ring recently.

He has lost four of his last fights and was shocking stopped by Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang in June last year.

This came six months after he suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Joseph Parker, which derailed a blockbuster meeting with ‘AJ’.

Speaking to FightHype.com, Hearn confirmed that Wilder had signed to fight Joshua at the time and an announcement was imminent, until the former lost to Parker.

Hearn believes that Wilder has now lost his fear factor in the squared circle, but revealed that a fight with Joshua could still happen down the line.

“If [Wilder] keeps winning, maybe people can talk about that fight,” he said.

“It’s definitely not a fight that I rule out, but people don’t give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully he can start looking good again.

“Again, we talk about fighters losing their way. There’s a great example.

“It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter, and then all of a sudden have no fear whatsoever.

“I don’t think anybody now would fear fighting Deontay Wilder, whereas at a point, everyone thought: ‘Oh my God, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport.’

“Now, everyone wants to fight him, so we shall see.”

Hearn also mentioned that Joshua’s last defeat in the ring makes the fight with Wilder more likely to happen if ‘The Bronze Bomber’ gets some wins back.

AJ’s heavyweight title dreams collapsed after he was shockingly knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in September.

Dubois now faces Oleksandr Usyk in the same venue in July for the chance to become the first British undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.

Wilder, meanwhile, has faced widespread criticism since his defeat to Zhang, with many boxing enthusiasts calling for his retirement.

“This fight isn’t going to tell us much, apart from [Wilder] gaining the confidence of a win,” Hearn concluded.

“If he struggles against this guy he has to pack it in, but I expect him to win, and hopefully he can win well.”

Nevertheless, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ has decided to make a return, as he faces fellow American Herndon, who is 24-5 in professional boxing and a huge underdog for the bout.

It feels like the last chance for Wilder who is 39 years old now and in desperate need of a victory in June.

However, for Herndon, it is an opportunity that he has always dreamt of, and he doesn’t want to just let it slip by.

“It is something I visualised would happen,” the 37-year-old from Texas told talkSPORT.com in April ahead of his clash with Wilder.

“I’ve replayed this scenario in my mind a thousand times, so when it does happen, I’ve already been there.

“Critics told me I was crazy for doing that, [but] I’ve already been there a thousand times already, so when I get in there with him I think it will be natural.

Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder

“A week before I got the call, it was my tenth year as a pro, I was on my way to the gym but I turned around.

“I just said ‘today isn’t one of my days’. I’d been doing this ten years, but what did I have to show for it?

“Then my manager rang and I thought it might be Dillian Whyte, as that fight didn’t materialise before.

“But then he said Deontay Wilder and I replied ‘get the f*** out of here.’ I couldn’t believe it.

“It reminded me that any time can be my moment, and it means more than anyone would know.”

Herndon will have all the odds stacked against him at the Charles Koch Arena in Kansas when he takes part in the biggest fight of his career.

Wilder, meanwhile, will hope the fight can propel him back into contention for one more huge payday in the ring against a name like AJ or Francis Ngannou.