Boxing
Anthony Joshua targeted by retired former pound-for-pound star: 'I'd take that fight right now'
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Former pound-for-pound star Andre Ward has claimed he would be willing to come out of retirement to face Anthony Joshua.
Ward, 41, struck gold at the 2004 Olympics before going on to win world titles at super middleweight and light heavyweight during a glittering professional career that saw him amass a perfect 32-0 record.
He has not fought since 2017 but has still expressed an interest in jumping up all the way up to heavyweight. And Ward insists he would have no issue going straight into a fight with two-time heavyweight champion Joshua.
Terence Crawford recently revealed he was encouraged to chase a fight with Canelo Alvarez by Bill Haney, the father and manager of ex-world champion Devin Haney.
Ward responded by saying he also had a conversation with Haney Sr on the prospect of fighting Joshua.
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Speaking on All the Smoke Fight, Ward said: “Bill [Haney] a good matchmaker. You gotta give him credit for how he move his son, seeing guys and knowing when to fight them and when not.
“It’s funny, I had been talking about fighting Joshua before, but he is the one that put the seed back in my mind three or four weeks ago, that was in the Bay. We were talking about it and I was like, you know what, I would take that fight right now.”
Ward has previously teased a fight with Joshua and earned a response from his fellow Olympic gold medallist earlier this year.
Joshua did not appear to take Ward’s fight proposal seriously, claiming his rival was simply pushing for a payday.
It remains to be seen whether Joshua shows any more interest in taking on Ward after his latest call-out.
Joshua has not fought in over 12 months after being knocked out by Daniel Dubois last September.
He is expected to return in a tune-up bout in early 2026 before targeting a major fight against Tyson Fury next summer.
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