Anthony Joshua Reveals New Fight Date After Kevin Johnson Bout Called Off

Unbeaten heavyweight Anthony Joshua intends to fight again in April after being forced to pull out of his January bout with Kevin Johnson.

Joshua was due to face Johnson at the O2 Arena in London on Jan. 31, but he has withdrawn from the fight on medical advice.

He has aggravated a back injury which he suffered in the build-up to his victory over Michael Sprott in January. The 2012 super heavyweight gold medallist has now been told to rest.

Promoted Eddie Hearn, per David Anderson of the Daily Mirror, has confirmed that the plan is for Joshua to fight an unnamed opponent in Newcastle on Apr. 4. Joshua had taken less than a round to beat Sprott:

“He hopes to resume punching in early February and come back with a bang in Newcastle on April 4,” said Hearn.

Joshua confirmed that the pars stress fracture in his lower back is a problem that requires fixing. However, he is still confident that he will be in action several times during 2015.

“I will be competing this year a number of times, but this injury is something that I need to get sorted as soon as possible.”

Johnson had been expected to provide Joshua with his sternest test yet since turning professional. Joshua has won all 10 of his fights, per Box Rec, and he has only once gone beyond the second round.

However, Johnson fought Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title in December 2009 and would have been a step up on Joshua’s previous opponents.

An opponent of Johnson’s calibre, though, may not have been enough to stop Joshua. For Barry Hearn, Joshua has the makings to be better than former world champion Lennox Lewis, telling talkSPORT:

"

I have never in my life seen anything like Anthony Joshua. I don’t think I have ever been so excited. Eddie runs the boxing now so it is not me talking to you as a promoter, I’m talking to you as a boxing fan. I don’t want to be disrespectful because Lewis was a great, great champion, but this boy is on a different level after 10 fights.

"

The question now is who is going to be Joshua’s opponent when he next returns to the ring in April, providing his injury heals as expected.

A blockbuster all-British fight against Tyson Fury in the summer has been mooted, per Riath Al-Samarrai of the Daily Mail. Joshua would not want to go into such a bout undercooked and his setback could lead any contest with Fury to be delayed beyond the summer.

Having been preparing for a fight against Johnson, a meeting with a boxer of similar experience and pedigree will surely be likely when Joshua is fit enough to step back into the ring.