Anthony Joshua must make new plans. The former unified world heavyweight champion had his sights set on boxing his great British rival Tyson Fury.
But Fury caught Joshua, and the rest of the sporting world, off guard on Monday when he announced his retirement.
Talks haven't formally begun, but hopes were so high that Fury vs. AJ would finally happen in 2025 that Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, set a date for the fight to take place at Wembley Stadium in the summer.
But with no immediate indication that Fury intends to overturn his decision, Joshua remains on the lookout for another opponent.
Last September, Joshua's bid to win the IBF belt and become a three-time world champion ended in disaster when Daniel Dubois knocked him out in five rounds.
An immediate rematch against Dubois was mooted, but fell through as Joshua recovered from that loss.
On February 22nd, Dubois will make his next defense of the belt against former world champion in shape and former opponent of Anthony Joshua, Joseph Parker.
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Hearn would like Joshua to fight the winner of Dubois-Parker.
“If it's not Fury, it's just the world heavyweight championship. It's Daniel Dubois against Joseph Parker,” Hearn said Sky Sports.
“AJ is going to fight again no matter who he's been fighting. I don't think he's taken the loss well, which is good. You should never take the loss well. But especially in the last few weeks, he's got his groove back. He's ready to go training camp.”
Hearn continued: “But the focus has always been Tyson Fury and the Daniel Dubois rematch. I'm not really sure Daniel Dubois beats Joseph Parker. You have a winner in that fight or someone else.
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Tyson Fury has repeatedly announced his retirement, and just two years ago he insisted that he would never return to the boxing ring
“Really at this stage in your career you want the biggest fights and you want to try to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.”
Warren: Joshua has to win a fight before the world title
Although Dubois' promoter Frank Warren points out that if Joshua is to put himself in a position to challenge the winner on February 22, he must be qualified. First, AJ “has to go out and win the fight,” Warren said Sky Sports.
Joshua will not be fined for the IBF world title fight immediately after the loss. Warren explained: “They won't let him. The IBF won't let him.”
Still, there is another way back into world-level contention.
On the February 22 undercard, Zhilei Zhang takes on Agit Kabayel for the WBC interim heavyweight title. The interim title holder would be primed for a mandatory challenge against Oleksandr Usyk, who holds the WBC as well as the WBA and WBO world championships.
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Tyson Fury's promoter Frank Warren reacts to his retirement announcement, saying he fully supports him and doesn't believe we'll see the Gypsy King in the ring again
But both Kabayel and Zhang would welcome a contest with Anthony Joshua while waiting for that shot at Usyk.
“I'm ready, let's go,” Kabayel said Sky Sports. “Everything is interesting. I am a fighter.
“I'm an athlete. I'm just going to fight. It is what it is.”
Zhang especially wants to box Joshua. The Chinese heavyweight lost to AJ at the 2012 London Olympics when they were amateurs, and today, all these years later, he still wants revenge.
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Johnny Nelson reacts to Tyson Fury's retirement announcement, saying he 'doesn't believe it', wondering why he would think that when a fight with AJ is on the table and citing the number of times the boxer has retired before
“Anything is possible. The AJ fight is possible, but right now I just want to pay attention to Kabayel. February 22 has my whole focus. I'll think about who's next after I beat him,” Zhang said Sky Sports.
But he added: “It's interesting because my name has been mentioned a number of times over the years. Eddie (Hearn) mentioned it. Look where I am at the moment – it's nowhere on the Joshua hit list.”
“At the same time, my team flew to London a few years ago. They met with Eddie, they met with Joshua's management team. Look where I am right now – I'm nowhere on Joshua's hit list. So I don't know.
“Who knows?” he thought. “But my point is I'm available. If they want to fight me just send the contract.”
It might not necessarily be as big a fight as Tyson Fury was offered to Anthony Joshua. But there are still options at heavyweight that could see him fight his way back to world level.
“Whoever it is, he's going to fight again,” Hearn insisted.
Regardless of whether Fury remains in retirement, in 2025 Anthony Joshua will return.