Anthony Joshua has no interest in facing Joseph Parker again, according to Parker’s promoter David Higgins, who believes the former two-time heavyweight champion sees the Kiwi as too big a risk.
Joshua, who sat ringside as Parker brutally knocked out Martin Bakole, has yet to respond to calls for a rematch.
But Higgins insists Joshua “wouldn’t take the fight”, arguing that Parker’s recent form makes him an extremely dangerous opponent.
“Joe would jump in with AJ in a heartbeat, but I reckon AJ wouldn’t take the fight,” Higgins told Sky Sports.
“I think AJ is a nice guy and he’s had a good career, but in recent times, he hasn’t looked comfortable in the ring, particularly in that last fight. He didn’t want to be there.”
Parker’s Redemption Arc: From 2018 Defeat to Heavyweight Menace
Parker previously lost to Joshua via unanimous decision in 2018, but his career resurgence has been remarkable.
With consecutive wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and now Bakole, the former WBO champion has reestablished himself as one of the most dangerous fighters in the division.
Higgins claims Parker’s fearless attitude sets him apart from other heavyweights, including Joshua.
“The way that Joseph is fighting, it would be a very risky call by AJ and his handlers to jump in the ring with Parker.”
“Most boxers take the lower-risk option, except for Joseph Parker. He takes the highest risk and the toughest option.”
“Fight by fight, Joseph is establishing more credibility, more menace. They’ll all be saying, ‘This guy is dangerous,’ and after the other day, ‘He really is dangerous.’”
“Anywhere, it would be ideal in the summer,” Higgins added.
Parker has been named the mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO belt, but Usyk is expected to take a rematch with Daniel Dubois before retiring.
Meanwhile, Parker is eager to fight again within four months, with his team waiting on offers from Saudi organizers and Queensberry Promotions.
While Joshua’s next move remains unclear, Parker’s ferocious comeback has positioned him as a major force in the heavyweight division—one that even AJ might be reluctant to face again.
Former British boxer Amir Khan believes Anthony Joshua should forget about a rematch with Daniel Dubois, declaring that ‘AJ’ was right to turn down an immediate return fight after his devastating knockout defeat last September.
Speaking exclusively to Prime Casino, the fan-favourite boxer said Joshua made a brilliant and smart decision by avoiding an immediate rematch with the powerful IBF Champion.
“I don’t think he should have taken that re-match. It’s the best choice he’s made,” Khan said.
Khan was particularly critical of Joshua’s chances against Dubois, describing him as a bogeyman who perfectly exploited the British Nigerian’s fighting style in their previous encounter.
While acknowledging that Joshua might eventually need to confront Dubois, Khan believes his fellow British boxer is currently better served seeking easier opponents that guarantee significant financial rewards.
“I think he made the right choice by not taking it now but in the future it’s still a fight. And even if he never fights him again, he tried, it happened, we’re all prize fighters and at this time he can make money elsewhere with an easier opponent,” he said.
“You always have that one opponent who is always going to be the bogeyman, who is always going to beat the style that AJ has, and I think that is Dubois. He was punch perfect when I saw that fight.”
The fight in question saw Joshua suffer a brutal fifth-round stoppage at Wembley, effectively halting his bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. Joshua’s team cited injuries and insufficient preparation time when declining an immediate rematch.
Dubois has since moved on, with rumours suggesting he is more likely to rematch Oleksandr Usyk for an undisputed title shot. Meanwhile, Joshua remains without a clear path to a major bout, with Tyson Fury’s retirement further complicating the heavyweight landscape.
The only potential immediate option appears to be Joseph Parker, the WBO Interim Champion, who has expressed willingness to face Joshua again.
Anthony Joshua Offered Dangerous Fight That Would Fast Track Him Back To World Title Shot
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.
Former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has dealt a significant blow to Anthony Joshua’s hopes of a blockbuster showdown after admitting he “can’t be f***ed” with boxing, casting further doubt on his potential return to the ring despite recent rankings speculation.
The 36-year-old “Gypsy King,” who announced his retirement in January following his second consecutive defeat to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, appears content with life away from the sport according to his cousin and trainer Andy Lee.
“(It’s) just the odd message here and there and he seems very happy. (He said), ‘Andy I’m not f****d.’ That’s what he said. ‘I couldn’t be f****d with it.’
“He’s very happy. As bad as it sounds, it depends what the figure is for Tyson. It has to motivate him to come out of retirement. He seems very happy,” Lee told iFL TV.
Fury’s latest retirement – at least his fifth during his illustrious career – had initially been taken with a pinch of salt by boxing fans and industry insiders, particularly after The Ring Magazine surprisingly reinstated him at number one in their heavyweight rankings last month despite his announced departure from the sport.
The British fighter’s inclusion in the prestigious rankings, placing him behind only unified champion Usyk but ahead of IBF champion Daniel Dubois and Joseph Parker, had fuelled speculation about a potential comeback for a long-awaited £200 million showdown with bitter rival Joshua.
Saudi boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh has made no secret of his desire to stage the all-British heavyweight clash that has been years in the making.
Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Alalshikh revealed, “I want Tyson (next for Joshua). I spoke with him, but I didn’t talk about boxing. I just check about his health and his family. I think maybe he’ll return. Yes, (I think he will return), I hope so.”
Joshua, who has climbed from seventh to fifth in The Ring’s heavyweight rankings despite not fighting since his knockout defeat to Dubois at Wembley last September, has expressed interest in facing his long-time rival.
“I feel like it’s the best fight (for me),” Joshua told iFL TV.
“People might say Parker, people might say – I don’t know. But I think Fury, commercially, is a great fight and it’s a great man’s fight as well. So I think it makes sense.”
“You could say it’s been years in the making. But listen, the heavyweight division has been thriving. And why I say it’s probably still a great fight is as I said Parker is, for me, a great story of someone that never gives up. And the thing is, there is going to be one winner and one loser. And there’s going to be blood shed. And it ain’t gonna be mine.”
Joshua’s future remains uncertain after turning down the chance to fight Dubois for a second time, citing fitness concerns. With Dubois now focused on securing a rematch with Usyk after their 2023 clash, Joshua appears to be temporarily out in the cold.
Claressa Shields had to choose which of her WBO titles to hold on to – and she has opted to vacate her light heavyweight title while holding on to her heavyweight belt.
That news was announced by WBO President Gustavo Olivieri.
“Per our rules, no WBO champion may hold titles in two different weight divisions simultaneously,” Olivieri posted on social media.
Shields won the vacant WBO heavyweight title – and a couple of other vacant belts to become the undisputed heavyweight champion – on February 2 with her unanimous decision over Danielle Perkins. The 29-year-old native of Flint, Michigan, moved to 16-0 (3 KOs), and added to a career that has also included becoming undisputed twice at middleweight and once at junior middleweight, plus winning titles at 168lbs and 175lbs.
Shields won the WBO’s vacant light heavyweight title – alongside the WBC’s heavyweight title, which confusingly is for women above 168lbs – with her July 2024 win over Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse.
Michigan’s athletic commission says Shields tested positive for marijuana after the Perkins fight. Shields says she has never used marijuana – which is not a performance-enhancing drug – and suggested her positive test may have come from secondhand smoke in the arena or contact with other people on fight night. She has appealed her suspension, and the head of the Association of Boxing Commissions has criticized the Michigan commission.
Fury announced his retirement earlier this year but there were lingering hopes he would return to fight bitter rival Joshua at Wembley this summer
Tyson Fury has admitted he “can’t be f***ed” with boxing – dealing a blow to Anthony Joshua’s hopes of luring him out of retirement.
Fury hung up his gloves in January, a month after losing his heavyweight rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. It was at least the fifth time he had ‘retired’ during his career, leading to his announcement being taken with a pinch of salt. Boxing fans hopes Fury would be tempted back to the ring for a £200million showdown with bitter rival Joshua.
But according ton boxing trainer Andy Lee, who is also Fury’s cousin, the former world champion has no interest in returning. Asked if he is in touch with Fury, Lee told iFL TV:
“[It’s] just the odd message here and there and he seems very happy. [He said], ‘Andy I’m not f****d.’ That’s what he said. ‘I couldn’t be f****d with it.’ He’s very happy. As bad as it sounds, it depends what the figure is for Tyson. It has to motivate him to come out of retirement. He seems very happy.”
Joshua’s future remains uncertain after turning down the chance to fight Daniel Dubois for a second time. Joshua was knocked out by his fellow Brit at Wembley last September but was not fit enough to accept an immediate sequel.
Dubois was due to take on Joseph Parker last month but pulled out two days before the bout after falling ill with a virus. Dubois is now determined to take on fellow champion Usyk in a rematch of their 2023 clash, leaving Joshua out in the cold.
Fury lost twice to Usyk last year with both fights going the 12-round distance. The Brit insists he was robbed in their rematch and alluded to that in his retirement statement. ”Hi everybody, I’m going to make this short and sweet,” he wrote. “I would like to announce my retirement from boxing. It’s been a blast. I’ve loved every single minute of it. And I’m going to end with this… Dick Turpin wore a mask. God bless everybody see you on the other side. Get up!”
Fury was referring to infamous highwayman and robber Turpin from the 17th century who was ultimately executed in 1739 at the age of 33. Fury has not spoken out since his brief social media video and has shown little sign of being tempted back into the ring.
Despite his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois, former two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has moved two spots up in the latest Ring Magazine heavyweight rankings.
Anthony Joshua last fought in September 2024 at Wembley Stadium, where he suffered a knockout defeat against Dubois.
Meanwhile, Oleksandr Usyk remains in a class of his own above the top 10, while Tyson Fury is ranked No.1 despite announcing his retirement in January.
Fury’s decision came after back-to-back losses to Usyk in 2024, the first defeats of his professional career. However, many in the boxing world doubt his retirement is permanent.
Joshua’s rise in the rankings follows significant shifts in the division. Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole suffered defeats in Saudi Arabia on the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol II undercard.
Zhang was stopped by a devastating body shot from Agit Kabayel in the sixth round of their WBC interim heavyweight clash, while Bakole was knocked out by Joseph Parker after stepping in on two days’ notice as a late replacement for Dubois.
Bakole’s last-minute decision saw him endure a 3,800-mile journey from Congo to Saudi Arabia, taking three connecting flights. His bravery was widely praised, but the defeat cost him his IBF final eliminator status and a drop in the rankings. Previously ranked No.6, Bakole has now dropped to No.7, while Zhang fell from No.4 to No.6.
Kabayel surged to No.4 following his career-best victory, with Anthony Joshua now positioned at No.5 behind the German fighter Zhilei Zhang. Parker and the remaining heavyweights retained their original rankings.
Latest Ring Magazine Heavyweight Rankings: Tyson Fury Daniel Dubois Joseph Parker Agit Kabayel Anthony Joshua Zhilei Zhang Martin Bakole Filip Hrgovic Fabio Wardley Efe Ajagba
Claressa Shields Addresses Boxing Suspension Following Positive Marijuana Test
Claressa Shields has been having a tough time following her boxing suspension for testing positive for marijuana.
The 29-year-old appeared on Tamron Hall to explain how her oral mouth swab could have come back positive after her match in Michigan.
“One, the place reeked of marijuana,” Shields explained, describing the venue where the boxing match occurred. “Before I got to do the mouth swab, everybody was hugging and kissing me in Flint. … I know some boxers don’t stop and greet the fans but I’m not one of them. I hugged and kissed everybody back.”
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.
Claressa Shields says she’s never used weed. Did secondhand smoke cause failed drug test?
The saga of boxer Claressa Shields is unfolding.
She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. A three-time undisputed world champion. But, at 29, the self-proclaimed “GWOAT” (Greatest Woman Of All-Time) is facing a question involving her integrity.
Could Shields have tested positive for marijuana even if she never used the drug?
According to Shields, that’s what happened after her last boxing match, a victory over Danielle Perkins Feb. 2 at Dort Financial Center in her hometown of Flint, Michigan. The drug test results have not been publicly released, but Shields has said a saliva test detected “trace” amounts of marijuana, a prohibited substance in competition for professional fighters in Michigan.
Ten days after dominating Perkins in a fight that improved Shields’ record to 16-0 and elevated her to undisputed heavyweight champion came the gut punch. She was suspended by the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission (MUCC), which regulates boxing in the state, and such discipline generally is upheld by other states.
But she’ll soon get a chance to contest the decision.
On March 6, during a pre-hearing meeting before an assistant attorney general, Shields will request her suspension be revoked, according to her lawyer, David Slutsker. “We will present evidence … and be open to any questioning they have,” Slutsker told USA TODAY Sports. Depending on the outcome, a formal hearing could follow.
For now, Shields faces a 90-day suspension, a possible fine and newly surfaced claims about her possible exposure to the drug.
Other boxers tested positive
Shields was not the only boxer on the Feb. 2 card to test positive for marijuana. Eight of the 16 boxers on that night’s card were drug tested by swab, and three tested positive for marijuana, according to Dmitry Salita, the promoter of the show, and Shields’ attorney, Slutsker.
“That number is highly unusual for a single boxing event, particularly one featuring Claressa and other elite athletes,” Salita said. “Given the circumstances, it’s important to review the testing protocols to ensure consistency and fairness.”
Joe Hicks, a middleweight from Michigan, confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that he tested positive for marijuana. Salita said the other boxer who tested positive for marijuana was Skylar Lacy, a heavyweight from Indiana, who did not respond to USA TODAY Sports’ requests for comment left by voicemail, text message and social media.
Hicks, who is 12-0 as a pro boxer, said he worried about potential consequences because he works for an insurance company where “you can lose your job for taking any drugs without a prescription.
“When they called, I was, like, wow,” he said of learning of the results. “I don’t take drugs.”
Adding he was also surprised to hear Shields tested positive, Hicks speculated that marijuana smoke inside the Dort Financial Center in Flint triggered the positive tests.
“Oh man, it was everywhere,” he said. “I’m not exaggerating. … I was getting dressed to take pictures with my family; it was like a big cloud of weed. When you go in the bathroom, it’s just a big cloud of smoke that hits you. You smell nothing but marijuana.”
Marijuana is legal in Michigan but banned at Dort Financial Center. However, Salita and Shields’ manager, Mark Taffet, said the smell was noticeable.
“The hallways smelled horrible,” Taffet said. “… Like where (Shields) took the post-fight (drug) test, that sort of ring of hallway around the building, that smelled terrible.”
Jeremy Torrey, general manager of the Dort Financial Center, declined to comment to USA TODAY Sports.
Secondhand smoke a risk?
Whether secondhand smoke can cause a non-smoker to test positive for THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that produces a psychoactive effect, depends on the exposure conditions, according to a 2015 study published in Journal of Analytical Toxicology.
The study, which focused on “extreme cannabis smoke exposure conditions tolerable to drug-free nonsmokers,” reported, “Positive tests for THC in oral fluid and blood were obtained for nonsmokers up to (three hours) following exposure.”
But the study also concluded, “positive tests are likely to be rare, limited to the hours immediately post-exposure, and occur only under environmental circumstances where exposure is obvious.”
A 2004 study published in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology reported, “Passive exposure to cannabis smoke in an unventilated room has been shown to produce a transient appearance of THC in oral fluid for up to 30 (minutes). However, it is well known that such factors as room size and extent of smoke exposure can affect results.”
Salita, the promoter, said, “The amount detected was negligible and consistent with potential secondhand exposure rather than personal use.”
Shields had said the saliva test showed “trace” levels of marijuana in her system, but she has not publicly released the test results.
What Shields may challenge
Victor Conte, who describes himself as a “dietary supplement and training adviser” for Shields, said the boxer told him she had concerns about how her saliva test was administered after her fight Feb. 2.
