BOXING
Who should Anthony Joshua fight next?
The former two-time heavyweight champion defeated Jermaine Franklin via unanimous decision in London on Saturday. Who should he face now?
It probably took longer and he had to dig deeper than expected but he came out victorious. Anthony Joshua was expected to leave the O2 Arena with his hand raised and he did so by defeating the American on points.
Before the fight, AJ admitted that he would be retiring from the sport in case he got defeated but the 33-year-old is probably in his prime now, and under the guidance of his new trainer, Derrick James, he will be looking to get another title shot soon.
Promoter Eddie Hearn said he expects the popular Brit to get into the ring two more times, in summer and December. But after suffering back-to-back defeats to undefeated world champion Oleksandr Usyk, who should Joshua fight next?
Joshua vs Fury: the all-British clash happening?
If The Cat is taken out of the equation, who are the main names that come into mind for Joshua? It seems obvious that the biggest fight for AJ and British fans would be Tyson Fury.
Both fighters have been going back and forth in the past on social media and talking about a potential bout, but it never happened.
Now, with Joshua winning again, it could be the perfect excuse to start negotiations for a bout with The Gipsy King.
“That’s the pot of gold. The WBC heavyweight champion of the world. That’s what it’s about. If the coach and team say it’s a good opportunity, I’d take it with both hands. The boxing world needs it”, said Joshua after defeating Franklin.
Joshua vs Wilder: an explosive option
If the Fury fight doesn’t happen and Joshua can’t fight for the heavyweight crown, another interesting option that fans would love to see is a bout against KO artist Deontay Wilder.
They could have fought each other back in 2019 when both fighters were dominating the heavyweight division, but mainly money disputes and egos made it impossible for that fight to happen.
After not being able to defeat a technician of boxing in Usyk, Wilder would represent a whole different profile for Joshua, and maybe an interesting one for him.
Moreover, Wilder himself has suffered a similar situation to Joshua’s, as he also tasted defeat twice to another boxer (Fury), so he might also be looking for another kind of opposition here.
Who wants to fight Joe Joyce?
The third option seems quite unlikely, although if it ever happened it would be of huge interest for boxing fans around the world.
Known as The Juggernaut, Joe Joyce isn’t as charismatic as Fury, Joshua, or Wilder, but that doesn’t mean his skills aren’t top-class.
Joyce, the number one challenger for Usyk’s WBO belt, is set to fight China’s Zhilei Zhang in April and if he emerges victorious, he will likely call out Joshua.
The 37-year-old Brit, who has a solid amateur background, won silver at the 2016 Olympics, and he has remained undefeated since switching to professional boxing, winning all of his 15 fights so far, 14 of them by knockout.
Joyce, known for his granite chin and relentless fighting style, recently defeated former world champion Joseph Parker, WBA titleholder Daniel Dubois, and world-title challenger Carlos Takam.