If Anthony Joshua decides to return to the ring later this year, his comeback fight may have been orchestrated by Hollywood royalty.
The two-time unified heavyweight champion is currently recovering from a car crash in which two of his close friends passed away, and is not focused on boxing. His uncle recently claimed that he is going to retire from the sport, with his last fight coming in December against Jake Paul.
Who should Anthony Joshua fight next?
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However, if he decides he does want to get back in the ring it seems that kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven could be the opponent. And should that happen, Joshua would have Jason Statham to thank for the booking.
Who is Anthony Joshua? Meet the Olympic gold medalist turned world Heavyweight boxing champion
Jason Statham helped to kickstart Rico Verhoeven and Anthony Joshua fight talks
On tonight’s episode of the Ariel Helwani show, the famed reporter told of how Verhoeven came to become a potential opponent for Anthony Joshua. Reportedly, it was Hollywood actor Jason Statham who came up with the idea while watching a fight with Turki Alalshikh.
“My understanding is that during Benn-Eubank 2, Turki Alalshikh did an interview about what’s next for AJ and he was sitting next to Jason Statham the actor,” Helwani said. “And he mentioned, if you recall, if anyone saw the broadcast that ‘we have plans for him’.
Ariel Helwani on Rico Verhoeven: In my perfect world for Rico, get the bag, get the AJ fight, see how that goes, and then go to the…
2026-01-07 03:54:59
