Anthony Joshua has resumed training under the watchful eye of Iegor Golub with a view to a comeback fight later this year.
The two-time world heavyweight champion had taken a break from the sport after surviving a fatal crash in Nigeria last year, which took the lives of two of Joshua’s best friends.
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Joshua had been linked with a mega fight against long-time rival Tyson Fury, who is poised to come out of retirement next month against Russian heavyweight Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
But Joshua is now back training with Golub, who helped him in the condensed build-up to the Jake Paul fight, which saw ‘AJ’ blast out the American in six rounds, with the coach’s compatriot Oleksandr Usyk also present in the gym ahead of his next fight against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven in May.
Joshua could be seen harnessing his craft with some technical work under Golub’s guidance, with the Ukrainian trainer sharing pictures and a caption: “Back to training.”
The 36-year-old took on instructions during a heavy bag session and also jumped rope to work on his conditioning.
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Usyk, who beat the Briton twice on points in 2021 and 2022, was seen giving Joshua advice on technique for a kettlebell exercise.
Joshua has been linked with a comeback fight, with a number of options discussed here, while long-time rival and fellow British heavyweight Dillian Whyte could emerge as a sensible option as he resumes his career after tragedy.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has also teased news around the fighter, after revealing the heavyweight recently rejected an offer from a rival promoter.
Hearn took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a photo of him accompanying Joshua during a past ring walk, adding the word “loading”.
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The update came one day after Hearn suggested that Joshua had rejected an offer from a rival promoter – in the wake of Conor Benn’s defection from Hearn’s company, Matchroom.
“He won’t mind me saying it, but AJ had an approach around the back, a couple of weeks ago,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show. on Tuesday.
“Do you know how quickly he sent me the message, the screenshot? Seconds. ‘Let me know what you wanna reply.’
“And it’s like, we’re a team. ‘Til the wheels come off, we are a team, and I’ve got your back always. And that’s just how it is.”
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