Former world champion Anthony Joshua is set to see his immediate future in the ring thrashed out in the coming days, ahead of one final lucrative outing.
Missing out on a planned return to combat before the end of the year, Anthony Joshua had entered the sweepstakes to take on the polarizing Jake Paul in a return; however, the Ohio native is now booked to face Gervonta Davis in November.
And with a comeback potentially as soon as January now in the works as part of a historic trip to Africa for the former gold holder, Joshua is seemingly approaching a career swan song.
That swan song in question also appears to be in relation to the biggest fights in the division, culminating in a summer showdown.
Anthony Joshua backed for one last ‘roll of the dice’ clash in 2026
Not having it all his own way in the ring in the last couple of years, beyond an impressive four-fight rise in non-title fights, Joshua came unstuck in back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
And in his last venture to the ring, the Watford star was stopped in brutal fashion by Daniel Dubois, who launched an assault on the IBF heavyweight crown.
However, with a potential January return expected to serve as a warm-up clash, Joshua has been tipped to secure one final lucrative “roll of the dice” fight against a fellow household name by this time next year.
“He (Joshua) needs to get back in the groove against a top twenty guy, that he can go in, blow the cobwebs off, look good and gear himself up for the last big roll of the dice,” Eddie Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“Right now, I would say January or February in Africa is very common, and I would be looking to head out to see AJ next week to try and finalise some plans.”
And amid plans for one final pageantry showdown, a particular fight has been mooted once more in the boxing scene.
Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua urged to fight by boxing royalty
On a collision course inside the ring for years at this stage, former world champion stars Joshua and his British compatriot, Tyson Fury, have failed to ever get a pairing over the line.
And it’s the belief of former undisputed world champion Lennox Lewis that if they fail to ever make good on their rumored fight, they would end their gold-laden career with a certain regret.
Lewis warned that based on his experience, he would have regretted not bookending his era in boxing with his fight against Mike Tyson, akin to a 2026 fight between Joshua and Fury.