Anthony Joshua Replies Andre Ward Callout

Anthony Joshua took to Instagram to respond to Andre Ward after the former two-weight champion called him out earlier this week. 

Since retiring in 2017, Ward, 41, has teased making a comeback once before. This time however, the retired boxer dropped the name of the person he’d like to take on.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, the athlete stated that he would be willing to fight Joshua in a fight that would be “dangerous” for his legacy.

“One name that I’ve brought up before, that… when you say that name, I could see myself fighting him – present day today, if the business was right and everything was right on that front… Me and Anthony Joshua,” Andre Ward said.

“That’s a fight that I would take at Wembley Stadium. It’s a dangerous fight for my legacy, it’s a dangerous fight across the board, but that’s a fight that would get me in the gym and get me in the mindset that I need to be in to go to war.”

While he is considered a modern great, Ward would have to reach a career-high weight to get in the ring with Joshua. With his unified world titles at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight, the veteran has never fought above 175lbs. On the other hand, AJ has weighed in as high as 255.4lbs. 

Joshua Responds to Andre Ward

Joshua responded to the veteran’s callout by commenting, “Pay Day Pay Day (Canelo voice ),” on the Instagram post. This was a reference to Saul Alvarez shutting down several prospective opponents by claiming they wanted the “pay day” associated with fighting with him. 

Joshua took another jab at Ward in the post’s comment section, questioning his ability to fill up Wembley Stadium. 

“Bro said Wembley stadium like it’s casual looooooooooool. 

“90k tickets DRE!

“What do your gate numbers look like DRE.”

Joshua Hasn’t Fought Since Daniel Dubious Take Down

Joshua has fought in Wembley Stadium three times, with the last time resulting in a loss against then IBF champion Daniel Dubious. The match, which took place in September 2024, was AJ’s last time in the ring. 

Following his previous defeat and elbow surgery, it is currently unclear who Joshua’s next opponent will be. The former unified heavyweight champion has already been mentioned by Oleksandr Usyk, Tyson Fury, and Jake Paul; however, there has been no official announcement yet.

Ranked as one of the 7th greatest men’s boxers of the 21st century by ESPN, Ward retired in 2017 following a stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev. The win earned him the WBA, WBO, and IBF light-heavyweight titles and the vacant Ring magazine crown. 

Ward announced his retirement three months later with a pristine record of 32-0. In a statement at the time, he said, “I want to be clear – I am leaving because my body can no longer put up with the rigors of the sport and therefore my desire to fight is no longer there. If I cannot give my family, my team, and the fans everything that I have, then I should no longer be fighting.”