Is Joshua getting ready to fight Fury?

Andrew Karlov | Published

Powerful british boxer Richard Riakpore (15-0, 11 KOs) had several sparring sessions with Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) this week, which may serve as a kind of signal that Joshua is preparing for the fight with Tyson Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) .

Negotiations for a fight between Fury and Joshua for the WBC heavyweight belt, tentatively scheduled for December, are still ongoing. According to the media, things are going fast, as AJ accepted all the conditions of the King of the Gypsies, including a 60-40 profit split in favor of Tyson. AJ is also listed by the WBC, which may indicate that the contract for the Fury vs. Joshua fight is close to signing.

Whether Joshua's sparring against Riakpore is yet another sign of the imminent announcement of a showdown between the British giants for the world champion belt in the royal division remains to be seen. In any case, Joshua decided to quickly return to the ring after two losses in a row to the current IBF, WBA and WBO champion Oleksandr Usyk. AJ will definitely fight again in December, and his opponent, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, must be strong, even if it is not Fury.