…promoter eyes Q1 showdown
Anthony Joshua could make his comeback in Nigeria early next year, with promoter Dr Ezekiel Adamu revealing plans are underway to bring the former world champion back to the African ring.
Joshua, who lost the IBF world heavyweight title fight to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September last year, has been sidelined by injury as he plots a return.
His team have been exploring several options with Ghana under consideration, but Adamu says an offer to host the fight in Nigeria is being prepared.
Reflecting on the appetite for big fights on the continent, Adamu pointed to a recent show he staged in Lagos alongside Amir Khan. “It was an amazing success,” he told Sky Sports News. “A new opening for boxing in Africa. The reception has been great, from the locals, the boxing world, the government as well.”
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Adamu made clear he wants AJ in Nigeria and suggested talks are ongoing. “We’ve had a preliminary conversation and we’ll keep going,” he said.
“We’re looking at Q1 next year. We all know AJ has always said he wants to fight in Africa before the end of his career, and we believe Nigeria is actually the best story. Nigeria has the highest population in the whole of Africa, about 250 million people. Nigeria is the economic capital of the whole of Africa. The list goes on and on. We believe that we are actually poised to make that happen.”
One name being mentioned for Joshua’s return is Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole, a former sparring partner of AJ’s who has been pushing for a high-profile bout after a mixed run that saw him lose to Joseph Parker at short notice and draw with Efe Ajagba. Bakole says he would welcome the shot and has even volunteered to travel to Nigeria for the occasion.
“I’d take the fight with Anthony Joshua in a heartbeat. We are both African fighters, and now we’re seeing boxing come back to Africa,” Bakole told Sky Sports.
“Anthony Joshua doesn’t want to fight me. He knows what happened in sparring. If we get in the ring I’m going to knock him out. Without doubt. I’ll even knock him out in Nigeria, in front of his own crowd. This is the fight to make. And we need to make it in Africa. It’ll be the Rumble in the Jungle II.”
Adamu did not rule Bakole out. “He is an option. There’s a lot of options being thrown at us for this particular fight but – yes – Martin Bakole is here,” the promoter said, adding that a number of proposals are on the table as his team works to assemble a show that will capture global attention and, crucially, bring major boxing back to Nigeria.
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