Anthony Joshua confirms next fight date after Francis Ngannou knockout

Anthony Joshua has confirmed he will return to the ring in September following his KO win against Francis Ngannou.

Former two-time heavyweight world champion Joshua extended his unbeaten streak to four fights last month when he dropped Ngannou twice before stopping him for good in the second round. ‘AJ’ has been promised a shot at the undisputed world titles in his next fight, which Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk are competing for next month.

When asked about his next fight on The Jonathan Ross Show, ‘AJ’ said: “Around September is when I’ve been told. I was hoping June. I’ve got some time to go on dates now and mingle a little bit. I’m training at the minute, I’ve got two months before I get into training camp.

Queensbury Promotions are hosting a Wembley Stadium event later this year, according to Derek Chisora, and he recently claimed Joshua will be headlining the card. “He will fight the winner of Daniel Dubois and [Filip] Hrgovic in Wembley. F*** it, I’ve got a big mouth. That’s the plan. It’s gonna be a sick, a little adventure for Turki Alalshikh to bring it back to London,” Chisora told iFL TV.

Dubois and Hrgovic have been linked to fight on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s undisputed clash, which takes place in Saudi Arabia on June 1. The IBF world title could be on the line if the organisation forces Fury or Usyk to fight mandatory challenger Hrgovic.

Joshua fought three times last year as he won an unentertaining decision against Jermaine Franklin before KO’ing Robert Helenius and Otto Wallin. ‘AJ’ made his professional debut over a decade ago and when asked about his retirement plan, he said: “I’ve always said 35. I’m 35 in October, I’m thinking another two years or so if my body holds out.”