Anthony Joshua faces being on the undercard for his next fight in embarrassing step down
Anthony Joshua is reportedly set to fly back to Texas to start training camp ahead of a December fight.
Joshua hasn't fought since his devastating knockout victory over Robert Helenius in August.
He's on a two-fight winning streak, having suffered back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
A blockbuster Saudi Arabia showdown against Deontay Wilder had been mooted but talks broke down.
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Joshua vs Wilder appears unlikely to take place this year, with a March or April date suggested.
In the meantime, the 34-year-old could have a tick over bout in December ahead of potentially facing off against 'The Bronze Bomber'.
He could appear on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn bill on December 23 in Abu Dhabi, which is being planned by Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, according to The Sun.
So, that would see Joshua compete on the undercard, which would be his first non-main-event fight since 2015.
He fought Kevin Johnson on the undercard of Matchroom's 'Rule Britannia' card, which saw Kell Brook take on Frankie Gavin in the main-event.
An opponent for December hasn't been named, but, as an interim clash, it's unlikely to be a major contender in the heavyweight division.
If Hearn is unable to strike a deal with Team Wilder, then they could turn to IBF mandatory challenger Filip Hrgovic, who boasts a 16-0 professional record.
On Joshua vs Wilder, the Matchroom chief said: "We were offered a deal that we accepted [but it fell through]. It's not my fault now that some of the alternatives may not be anywhere near the last number, so that makes us reconsider our options.
"We're also in line potentially to fight for the IBF world title vs Filip Hrgovic/Otto Wallin. So I don't care about Deontay Wilder, he's in his own problems, the guy ain't fought for a year and his last fight was about 40 seconds. He don't really wanna fight, I don't think."
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Topics: Boxing, Anthony Joshua
Nasir Jabbar