JUST as rumours of Anthony Joshua’s controversial clash with Jake Paul gained momentum, an alternate foe has emerged for the two-time heavyweight champion: two-division conqueror, Andre Ward.
Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), has been recovering from injuries suffered in his unsuccessful IBF world title challenge against Daniel Dubois last September, but the 35-year-old now seems close to a fight announcement.
Yet, to the disappointment of many and the joy of a select few, Eddie Hearn has named YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, 12-1 (7 KOs), as the frontrunner ,for what would be seen as a relatively easy yet lucrative proposition for Joshua’s comeback.
However, former super-middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion, Ward, 32-0 (16 KOs), has now thrown his hat into the ring, explaining on his Instagram that a fight with ‘AJ’ would convince him to return, eight years on from his surprise retirement.
“There is a lot of names out there but there is not a lot of names that make sense. But, there is one name that I’ve brought up before that when you say that name, I can see myself fighting him, present day, today.
“If the business was right and everything was right on that front, me and Anthony Joshua.
“That is a fight that I would take at Wembley Stadium, it’s a dangerous fight for my legacy, it’s a dangerous fight across the board, but that’s a fight that would get me in the gym and get me into the mindset that I need to be in, to go to war.
“It’s Anthony Joshua. I know that he is getting ready to fight Jake Paul and it looks like that is where it is going, but I ain’t talking about that, I am talking about a real fight.”
Despite the call-out being an ambitious one, given his inactivity and age, a meeting with 41-year-old Ward appears to have pricked the ears of Joshua, who beckoned on the fight in the comments section of Ward’s call-out.
AJ – “Pay Day Pay Day (Canelo voice)”
AW – “Of course brother, do you fight for free? Business is always a reason, but not the only reason. I think you understand that.”
AJ – “Don’t come asking for multi-millions to fight me. Put your pride before your ego and let’s rumble.”
Joshua’s sudden interest in a meeting with Ward, who has been calling for the fight since he trumped Kovalev for the light-heavyweight crown in 2016, may be nothing more than a negotiation tactic for his left-field fight with Paul.
Although with Joshua’s mind fixated on partaking in solely high-profile, high-profit events for the remainder of his career, Ward could now be seen as a viable, lower-risk option, as opposed to a lesser-known heavyweight contender, for his return to action.
