Anthony Joshua has not competed inside the boxing ring since September 2024.
In the 12 months since, he has been receiving from a minor elbow injury and biding his time for a final run at the heavyweight division.
Last time out, the former two time unified heavyweight ruler was stopped inside five rounds by Daniel Dubois. After that defeat, many fans had hoped he would go on to have a generational showdown with Tyson Fury, though Fury instead retired after losing for a second time to Oleksandr Usyk back in December.
Another man that Joshua has been linked to over the years is dangerous heavyweight Martin Bakole, who is trained by recent world title winning trainer Billy Nelson.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Nelson was asked if there was an offer on the table for Bakole to fight ‘AJ.’
“Nah, they don’t want to fight Martin Bakole. If they want to fight Martin Bakole the answer is yes, right now, the answer is yes.”
This contest has long been mooted as a possible fight to take to Africa with Joshua having Nigerian heritage and Bakole hailing from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire, which famously hosted The Rumble in the Jungle in 1974 when George Foreman and Muhammad Ali fought in one of the most watched televised events of the time.
Right now, neither man has an opponent lined up, with Joshua set to return in early 2026, potentially in Lagos. Now 35 and with four losses on his ledger, he will need to choose wisely in this final chapter of his decorated career.
Bakole, meanwhile, was stopped by Parker as a late stand-in back in February and drew with Efe Ajagba in May.
