A matchup that seemed implausible years ago could happen in the near future as British former unified heavyweight (200+ lbs) champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KO’s) and French Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka (14-3, 11 KO’s) have been linked with each other.
The rumor was first addressed by talkSPORT Boxing by former super bantamweight (122 lbs) contender Spencer Oliver who heard of the possibility of the fight occurring sometime this year or the next:
“No opponent, and I’ve been on the Whatsapp group, and there’s no mention of it on there as well,” Oliver said, with his network as a former professional and current commentator/television host including Joshua as a person of contact.
“But I have had heard rumors circulating of maybe a possibility that he [Anthony Joshua] fights Tony Yoka.“
The rumor itself appears to be on unsteady footing after Anthony Joshua put out a cryptic message that seemed to hint at retirement. Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, had hinted at Joshua’s retirement earlier this week:
“Shoutout to [Matchroom Boxing] for all you have done for me and continue to do for me,” Joshua wrote on his Instagram Story.
“Long may you reign supreme and keep giving fighters opportunities to become champions & make boxing great. 12 years ago, I signed with you and 12 years later I will throw my last punch with you. Royalty & Loyalty is a perfect match for the great good.
“A toast to another 100 years of [Matchroom Boxing] and to finish on this… … … . If I could start from scratch, I wouldn’t change s***.”
With Anthony Joshua known for being cryptic, nothing concrete could be gathered from his social media post which was released on the same day [July 25] he signed with Matchroom for the first time in 2013.
Founder of Matchroom and father of Eddie Hearn, Barry Hearn, did suggest retirement was a possibility after revealing yesterday on talkSPORT that Joshua could potentially fight thrice and retire afterwards in 2026:
“It’s been an absolute honor to represent AJ [Anthony Joshua],” Hearn told talkSPORT. “And I think he’ll have two or three more fights and then go off into the sunset.“
Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn himself revealed recently that Joshua was set for a return to the ring in December and could indeed call an end to his notable career though not immediately:
“It’s probably that this is his last year in boxing,” Hearn told Seconds Out after being asked on whether Joshua’s social media post referred to him retiring.
“I said recently that’s not definite, but it’s very likely it could be. But it was more of an appreciation. Obviously we got a career long contract with him anyway. But we started with him, we’ll end with him and the end will come soon [though] not too soon.
“He’ll fight in December, and if it’s Jake Paul, it might be January/February. We’ll see.“
While there are no concrete reports signaling a fight between Joshua and Yoka, December could potentially see this matchup occur between the two. Yoka attained his Olympic gold medal in the 2016 Olympics and was heavily compared to Joshua once he entered the pro ranks.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, he would fail to reach his potential as a potential rise to become a genuine heavyweight contender was quickly stifled in 2022 after a majority decision (MD) loss to Congolese contender Martin Bakole (21-2-1, 16 KO’s).
Two more back-to-back losses after his defeat to Bakole relegated Tony Yoka to barely being considered a fringe contender, though his recent success in May against former 16-0 Russian contender Arslan Yallyev (16-1, 10 KO’s) spells a potential resurgence for Yoka; which could fully come to fruition if he could land a potential fight against Anthony Joshua and come out on top.
