ANTHONY JOSHUA EYES COMEBACK CLASH WITH NIGERIAN HEAVYWEIGHT EFE AJAGBA

Anthony Joshua’s return to the boxing ring is taking shape, with Nigerian heavyweight Efe Ajagba emerging as a potential opponent for the former two-time world champion’s comeback fight. Promoter Eddie Hearn revealed Joshua is considering several opponents, with Ajagba among the top contenders, alongside Tony Yoka and Martin Bakole.

Joshua hasn’t stepped into the ring since suffering a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September, but Hearn insists his client’s next fight will be strategic, not rushed. “The first fight back is not going to be Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker, or Moses Itauma. It’s going to be a proper fight, but it is not going to be against the top five. It might not even be against someone in the top seven or eight,” Hearn said.

Hearn emphasized planning is key, stating, “When you are planning something like this, you aren’t just going ‘Oh, who is he fighting first?’ We’re planning out probably the next three fights, and who we fight in fight three may even determine what we do in fights one and two”.

Ajagba, ranked No.10 by Ring Magazine, has been vocal about facing Joshua, boldly claiming, “Yeah, 100 per cent I’ll beat him worse than Dubois. He won’t last long”. The Nigerian heavyweight has also questioned Joshua’s Nigerian roots, saying, “He’s not a real Nigerian. He might have just been there and that’s where his parents came from, but for me, I’m the original Nigerian, to be honest”.

Despite Ajagba’s comments, Joshua had previously backed him ahead of his bout with Bakole, stating, “Efe is a good boxer, and obviously, I’m going to support Efe, even though he doesn’t support me”.

With Joshua aiming to rebuild after his defeat to Dubois and reclaim his heavyweight position, a potential clash with Ajagba would be an intriguing all-Nigerian showdown. Joshua’s handlers are exploring hosting the comeback fight in Ghana or Nigeria, with January or February 2026 likely dates.