Joshua’s Next Fight Is Close – Who Is It?
Anthony Joshua has said his next fight is almost finalized for a September 21 bout at Wembley Stadium.
Joshua has not fought since the knockout of Francis Ngannou in March. That was his second stoppage win in a row since teaming up with Ben Davidson. The perception is that Joshua is back to his best after his two Oleksandr Usyk losses. The Undisputed Heavyweight Title is tied up with Usyk after his win over Tyson Fury. They will rematch on December 21, as Joshua aims to get closer to a title shot. He did not mention any opponents, but there are several he could take.
Joshua’s Next Fight
A fight with Daniel Dubois makes the most sense. Dubois is the current IBF Interim Heavyweight Champion. He stopped Filip Hrgovic in his previous fight to win the belt. It was his second consecutive stoppage after doing the same to Jarrell Miller. It removed the perception that Dubois was quitting in the ring. He had taken a knee against Joe Joyce even if he did break his orbital bone. The boxer was also questioned for not getting up quickly enough when Usyk dropped him. A fight could easily be made since Matchroom and Queensbury Promotions are working closer with the Saudis.
Another alternative is to fight Zhilei Zhang. The pair have a history since they squared off at the 2012 London Olympics. Since then, Joshua has had a much better career. He became a two-time unified heavyweight champion, while Zhang is at the best stage of his career at 41. He has secured wins over Joe Joyce and Deontay Wilder in his last bout, the biggest of his career. Once again, the fight could easily be made between Matchroom and Queensbury.
Other Options
There is also the rematch between Joseph Parker. Joshua beat Parker in 2018 to win the WBO Heavyweight Title. Parker was praised for going the distance as Joshua had to dig deep. Since that defeat, Parker has reinvented himself. He has been working with Andy Lee and training alongside Tyson Fury. Parker has now secured big wins against Wilder and Zhang to become the WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion. A win over Parker would make Joshua the WBO mandatory for the winner of Fury vs. Usyk.
A final option is to box Dillian Whyte. They had agreed a deal to face each other last summer. Joshua won their first bout in 2015 when he knocked out Whyte in round seven. However, Dillian failed a test, and the fight was called off. Robert Helenius stepped in as Joshua stopped him. Whyte has been cleared since then, as he made his comeback with a third-round stoppage victory over Christian Hammer in March. This fight would be another domestic classic.
Who Will It Be?
“Zhang deserves the opportunity based on his performances, but so does Joseph Parker. Joseph Parker has just as much right to fight Anthony Joshua as Zhilei Zhang does and as Daniel Dubois does. We might get the curve ball, and it might be Joseph Parker. AJ is a major crossover star, and he’ll do 60,000 just on his own.
“If Daniel Dubois fights Anthony Joshua, he’s got to take it to him. He’s got to be aggressive in that fight. He can’t sit back. In my view, he’s got to go from the off. He’s got to take everything he’s learned in the Oleksandr Usyk fight and in the Filip Hrgovic fight and in the Jarrell Miller fighter and put them all into action at the same time. He could upset the apple cart. I see it as a 60-40 fight for Joshua. Joshua against Daniel Dubois,” Gareth A. Davies said
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