British-Nigerian professional boxer, Anthony Joshua has left fans stunned after announcing he will not fight again until December.
This comes just two days after he told the press that he wanted to get back in the ring in the “next three months”.
Joshua reclaimed his winning stats last weekend after he defeated Jermaine Franklin in a 12-round bout at the O2 Arena. That was the first time he won a match in almost two and a half years, since his first loss to Andy Ruiz Jr.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion had expressed hopes of a swift return this summer and on the rooster of likely fights against him were Dillian Whyte, a former foe, Tyson Fury, the WBC champion, Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce.
But in a statement on his Instagram story, Joshua said: “My next fight is scheduled for December. Not ideal but everything is part of a bigger picture.”
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Speaking to BBC’s One Show on Friday after the win over Franklin, he said: “It was nine months since I was last in the ring (before fighting Franklin). I don’t want to leave it that long again. I want to be back there in the next three months.”
As for which of his rivals he would prefer to face, Joshua was unequivocal after beating Franklin.
“Dillian Whyte or Tyson Fury? Well, 100 per cent Tyson Fury. That is the pot of gold. That is the WBC heavyweight champion of the world. That’s what it is all about, so definitely Tyson Fury,” Joshua said.