Joshua’s gaze downwards: Is he intimidated by Bakole or is he hiding his fear?

Anthony Joshua and Martin Bakole posed for a showdown during the Saturday Ring Awards in London, England.

Staring at London

It was interesting to see the intensity on the face of two-time former heavyweight champion Joshua in the matchup with the highly ranked Bakole (21-1, 16 KOs). It was like AJ was trying to intimidate Bakole and send a message about what would await him if they ever met inside the ring. Those two are not expected to fight in 2025, and possibly ever.

Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said the plan is for AJ to fight Tyson Fury twice in 2025 and possibly have a rematch against IBF champion Daniel Dubois. Hearn would resist letting Joshua fight Bakole with every fiber of his being because he would know what would happen to AJ if that fight happened.

If a fight with Bakole were to happen, it would be in 2026 under ideal circumstances. That would be after Joshua defeated Fury twice and avenged his loss to Dubois. Beating Fury twice is realistic for AJ, but avenging his loss to Dubois is probably beyond what he’s capable of due to his age and weak punch resistance.

Turki’s test

“As I want to see it, but you have to be sure that they are focusing and they still have it,” Turki Al-Shiekh said of Carl Froch’s report. YouTube channel when asked if he wants to see Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury in 2025.

“Now we must have the normality of losing some fights in boxing. All fighters want to focus on Mayweather’s career without losses. This can happen once every 50, 60, 70 years. We need the UFC model now. The champions are losing and winning,” Turki said, reacting to Froch telling him that Fury gets depressed and in a bad mood. Froch says Fury is dealing with losing to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time.

Turki Al-Shiekh’s tone suggests he wants Joshua and Fury to win before setting up a fight. How else can you tell if they “do you still have it?You can’t do that by looking them in the eye, talking to them, or watching them hit the gloves. They have to fight someone good.

The best way to do it would be for Joshua to fight Bakole and Fury to fight Dubois. If the old warriors pass those tests, then it can be said that they “still have it” and that it is worth it to Turki to finance a fight between them.

Fight news soon in Africa 👊❤️ @anthonyjoshua pic.twitter.com/DPLrHBpXyu

– Martin Bakole (@MartinBakole01) January 11, 2025