Joshua looks down: Is he scared of Bakole or is he hiding fear?

Anthony Joshua and Martin Bakole posed for a face-off during Saturday's Ring Awards in London, England.

Staredown in London

It was interesting to see the power in the face of two-time former heavyweight champion Joshua in the fight with the highly ranked Bakole (21-1, 16 KO). It was like AJ trying to intimidate Bakole and send a message about what's in store for him if they ever meet in the ring. These two are not expected to fight in 2025. and probably never.

Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said the plan is for AJ to fight Tyson Fury twice in 2025. and possibly face 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 this match happened.

If the Bakole fight happens, it will be in 2026. under ideal circumstances. This will come after Joshua beat 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 poor punch resistance.

Turki's test

“The way I want to see it, but you have to make sure they focus and still have it,” Turki Al-Sheikh told Karl Froch YouTube channel when asked if he wanted to see Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury in 2025.

“Now it should be normal to lose some fights in boxing. All fighters want to focus on Mayweather's 0-loss career. This can happen once every 50, 60, 70 years. We need the UFC model now. Champions lose and win,” Turki said, reacting to Froch saying that Fury was getting depressed and gloomy. Froch says Fury is dealing with losing to Alexander 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 he know if they “do you still have it?He 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 this would be to have Joshua fight Bakole and Fury fight Dubois. If the old warriors pass these tests, then you can say that they “still have it” and it's worth it for Turki to fund a fight between them.

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

— Martin Bakole (@MartinBakole01) January 11, 2025