WHO is Anthony Joshua going to fight next? According to the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight championโs promoter, Eddie Hearn, Deontay Wilder remains the โnumber one choiceโ. Tyson Fury โ fresh off a contentious draw with the WBC boss โ is number two.
As well as Wilder and Fury โ both seemingly long shots at this point โ Hearn named Dillian Whyte, Dereck Chisora and Oleksandr Usyk as potential Anthony Joshua opponents when he returns to Wembley Stadium on April 13.
The likeliest outcome would seem to be that Wilder and Fury contest a rematch, with the December 22 winner of the Hearn-promWhyte-Chisora II stepping in to challenge Joshua in April.
โItโs interesting with everything thatโs been happening with Wilder and Fury,โ said Hearn. โWe donโt know whatโs going to happen.
โIf we get Wilder, which would be our number one choice, brilliant. If we get Fury, which is our number two choice, brilliant. If not, we look at December 22 and say the winner of that fight is a must, if we donโt get Wilder or Fury.
โThe heavyweight scene is vibrant right now you have to say, the winner of Whyte-Chisora is the number four heavyweight in the world. Beyond that youโve got Luis Ortiz, Jarrell Miller and a whole list of guys that would all give you competitive fights and that hasnโt been the case for a long, long time.
โThe winner will not just want to fight โAJโ, the public will say โOkay, you canโt get Wilder or Fury, so fight Whyte or Chisora.โ And if they win by brutal knockout, and these guys are shouting and screaming for a world title shot, peopleโs opinions quickly turn. Donโt get me wrong, the public, now, want AJ-Wilder or AJ-Fury or a Fury-Wilder rematch. After December 22 that could all change.โ
There have been reports that Usyk is primed for the April date with Joshua. Hearn would not rule this out but claimed it was unlikely.
โApparently thatโs already done for April 13 but weโve not had a conversation with Usyk,โ Hearn said. โIโm seeing him this week and heโs coming over for the fight next week as well. Usyk, unless heโs completely crazy, will want one or two fights at heavyweight before he fights Anthony Joshua. But maybe he fancies it.
โJarrell Miller is another one. Maybe we go to America. Miller against one of these guys [Whyte or Chisora], if Joshua gets Wilder. Anything can happen on April 13, anything. It could be Wilder, it could be Fury, it could be Chisora, it could be Whyte, it could be Usyk.โ
Hearn โ who heads to New York this week to watch over Rocky Fieldingโs bout with Canelo Alvarez – indicated talks are again underway with Wilderโs team following failed negotiations in the summer. The two camps could not strike a deal back after a string of public moves from both sides failed to have the desired effect.
โI canโt tell you now [who Joshua will fight],โ said Hearn. โI made the mistake last time, we both did, both camps, of talking too much during negotiations so Iโm not saying anything this time.
โIโm going to try because I want to make it [Joshua-Wilder] happen.โ