Anthony Joshua has set his sights on a third stint at the top of the heavyweight division, with promoter Eddie Hearn revealing the former two-time champion has returned to training with renewed purpose and a clear plan to reclaim boxing’s biggest prize.
Joshua is scheduled to face Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on July 25, with a highly anticipated clash against Tyson Fury pencilled in for later in the year. Both fights, Hearn insists, are must-wins if Joshua is to get back to the top of the division.
“His endgame is to win the world heavyweight championship again,” Hearn told BoxingScene.
“But definitely, there are a couple of things that he wants to do. He wants to beat Tyson Fury, and he wants to win the world heavyweight championship again. So our plan right now is the plan that we can see that’s in front of us, which is Prenga and Tyson Fury.
“We’ve got to win those two fights. If he wins those two fights, he can walk into any fight, any championship that he wants. But we’ve got to win those fights.”
The road back has not been straightforward. Joshua suffered a defeat to Daniel Dubois and was also involved in a serious car crash in Nigeria, experiences Hearn acknowledged will weigh on his fighter come fight night.
The promoter said the early signs from camp have been positive, but warned that the real examination awaits once Joshua steps between the ropes.
“Everything that we’re seeing at the moment, his desire, his sparring, his training, looks great. But until you get in there, that’s when you’ve got to process everything that’s happened in your life and perform,” Hearn said.
“I know everyone just presumes he’s going to walk in and smash Prenga to pieces, but I’ll be very pleased if he does, because there’s a lot of pressure going into this fight. Not just what’s coming after, but what he’s been through as well.
And it’ll be a very emotional night.”
A win over Prenga would put Joshua on course for the Fury showdown that fight fans have long craved, and victory there would hand him a route back into world title contention for a third time.
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