Joshua will prioritize a bout with Tyson Fury over Dubois and Bakole

Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua squares off with ‘most dangerous fighter in the heavyweight division’ after KO threat
The former two-time heavyweight world champion came face-to-face with Daniel Dubois for the first time since being knocked out cold in September.
AJ spent most of his night talking up a potential clash with Tyson Fury, which remains one of the biggest in boxing even though they both appear to have passed their peak.
If that fight doesn’t come off, Anthony Joshua could box the dark horse of the heavyweight division.
Joshua could also face Martin Bakole a 6ft 6 KO artist from Congo, who has amassed a 22-1 record while quietly climbing the heavyweight ranks but Joshua's priority is a bout with Fury, not Dubois or Bakole.
The 31-year-old enjoyed a breakout performance as he dropped American prospect Jared Anderson three times en route to a shock fifth-round knockout victory in August 2024.
Since then, he’s been trying to secure himself a big-name opponent. Bakole is currently booked to face 20-1 contender Efe Ajagba in a fight expected to take place in March and act as an eliminator for the IBF heavyweight title.
Joshua was recently asked to give his thoughts on the upcoming fight between Bakole and Ajagba.
Naturally, AJ put his support behind his fellow Nigerian, Ajagba, but that didn’t sit well with Bakole.
“Anthony Joshua, this video is for you. I want to knock you out and now you’re talking s*** saying Ajagba is going to beat me,” Bakole lamented in a social media post.
“Shame on you. How many times did I call you out? How many times did I ask you to fight in Africa? You don’t feel ashamed of yourself? I want to fight you, and I want to knock you out.
“Look at Daniel Dubois, broke his nose twice and he knocked you out cold – what happened to me? I’ll knock you out in the first round.
“You’re talking about Ajagba, but Ajagba is a baby, wait to see how I am going to knock him out. I’ll invite you to be there – you’re talking s***, I want to fight you, stop talking nonsense.
“Now you say that you’re Nigerian, you are not British anymore, I’ll knock you out – I’m the African champion, I’m an African warrior and I will knock you out… After knocking Ajagba out, I’ll knock you out as well.”
Just a few days after Bakole’s outburst, he bumped into Joshua at the swanky awards bash in London.
The heavyweights squared off ahead of their potential grudge match – but everything seemed calm as Bakole grinned like a Cheshire cat and Joshua did everything he could to keep a straight face.