Anthony Joshua plans to fight twice this year as he looks to bounce back from his fourth career loss. The former two-time heavyweight champion suffered a setback against Daniel Dubois in his last bout.
Joshua had a bad start against Dubois. He got knocked down just before the bell in the first round. Joshua couldn't fully recover and ended up getting knocked out in the fifth round.
This loss came after Joshua had rebuilt his career following previous setbacks. He lost to Andy Ruiz in 2019 but won the rematch on points. Then, he faced two back-to-back defeats against Oleksandr Usyk. Joshua bounced back with wins over Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou before the Dubois fight.
Now, Joshua's team is looking at potential opponents for his comeback. Martin Bakole's promoter, Ben Shalom, told talkSPORT that a fight between Joshua and Bakole is set to happen in Africa.
"The promoter of Martin Bakole, that's what I want to be known as. The number one heavyweight in the world. It's done. I'm hearing he's signed [to fight Joshua] and we're off to the Congo."
Joshua's team hasn't responded to this statement yet. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, says the Bakole fight is an option, but their main target is the winner of Dubois' title defense against Joseph Parker.
Joshua had previously aimed for a big fight with Tyson Fury, but those plans stopped when Fury retired in January after losing twice to Usyk.
Bakole, known as one of the most avoided heavyweights, has sparred with top fighters like Joshua and Fury. He's only lost once to Michael Hunter and has notable wins over Carlos Takam and Jared Anderson. Bakole is set to fight Efe Ajagba soon in a final eliminator for the IBF's mandatory position.
Joshua will need to pick his next opponent carefully as he tries to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. The boxing world will watch closely to see if he can bounce back once again.
