With all of the current champions and mandatory challengers waiting for the opportunity to share the ring with Anthony Joshua, it would have been rather difficult to predict the direction he’s apparently hoping to go.
Joseph Parker staked his claim with a unanimous decision victory in the most recent defence of his WBO heavyweight title on Saturday while WBC champion Deontay Wilder has been calling for the Joshua fight on social media.
Awesome fight @klitschko but this is how you finish a fight…The WILDer Way. #WilderJoshua anyone? @anthonyfjoshua pic.twitter.com/fJkLqm9xvU
— Deontay Wilder (@BronzeBomber) May 3, 2017
Luis Ortiz and Kubrat Pulev remain in line as mandatory challengers for Joshua’s WBA and IBF titles respectively but Joshua isn’t loving the idea of a fight with either man, according to the latest reports.
Joshua has named the fight he wants next and it is against none of the above names, nor is it a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko or an all-British showdown with Tyson Fury.
So who, you may ask, does ‘AJ’ want?
Well, according to a report in Wednesday morning’s Times, Joshua has asked to fight Dillian Whyte for the second time.
Joshua has reportedly told promoter Eddie Hearn that a grudge rematch with Whyte is the fight he wants next, which is an option not many pundits expected.
‘AJ’ knocked Whyte out when they met for the first time as professionals, in 2015, while Whyte had famously beaten Joshua on the amateur circuit six years earlier.
Whyte has been on a tear since, winning all four of his fights since Joshua condemned him to the first defeat of his pro career.
He had been linked with a clash with Parker, having covered Saturday’s fight for Sky Sports, but Whyte could be set for a far more lucrative payday if Joshua’s wish is granted.
However, given his new-found superstar status, Joshua may be advised by his camp to pursue a bigger fight and continue his meteoric rise to the top of the heavyweight division as returning to ground which was covered long ago might not make the most business sense.
Whyte may well have to prove himself against a world champion before he gets the opportunity to face off with the biggest draw in the heavyweight division.
Joshua’s most likely next fight, it’s understood, will either be the mandatory defence of his IBF crown against Pulev or a rematch against Klitschko in the Autumn.
