Following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua has an uphill battle to fulfil his desire to become a three-time world champion. The third defeat of his career means that he will have to look towards the contenders rather than the top fighters for his next bout.
However, despite his defeat, Joshua looked closer to his best against pound-for-pound king Usyk in Jeddah on August 20 and will have a host of lucrative options available to him. Joshua remains the third ranked heavyweight with both The Ring Magazine and BoxRec and a fight against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder has been touted.
Eddie Hearn has also suggested that Dillian Whyte could be the star's next opponent, with the former mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury's WBC crown having previously lost to Joshua in 2015. However, speaking to DAZN, with whom Joshua has signed a multi-year deal, Hearn suggested that a Wilder fight would be equal to Fury vs Usyk as the biggest fight in the divison.
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The Matchroom promoter spoke to DAZN Boxing Show, saying: “It may be the biggest fight in the division, still. Fury [against] Usyk is a huge fight, obviously, but in terms of excitement, ‘AJ’ [vs] Wilder is right up there, as is ‘AJ’ against Dillian Whyte.
“The next step, in my opinion, for ‘AJ’ will be to box in December or January or whenever that’s going to be and to come back with a top 15 guy and put in a dominating performance.”
Joshua enjoyed a more positive performance, earning a split decision against the Ukrainian former cruiserweight despite defeat and Hearn explained the 32-year-old's need to get straight back into the ring sooner rather than later as he seeks to regain his world champion status after a disappointing defeat to Usyk last September.
He added: “He needs to get back on the winning saddle and then move with activity. I want him to have four fights between now and the end of 2023.
“I see the Dillian Whyte fight as a must-make fight for Anthony Joshua for the British public, I see Deontay Wilder as a must-make fight and I also see him fighting Tyson Fury because it’s a monumental one for British fight fans, but we’ll see how that plays out.”
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