Anthony Joshua has six possible options for his next fight following Oleksandr Usyk’s victory over Tyson Fury in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night. That’s according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, who accompanied the Londoner to the undisputed world heavyweight championship bout at Kingdom Arena.
The 34-year-old may not have picked his opponent yet, but he does have a date and a venue for his next bout. Barring a considerable change in plans, Joshua will headline a card at Wembley Stadium on the 21st of September. The event will mark the first show held on UK soil by Saudi Arabian boxing chief Turki Alalshikh and Hearn spoke to the Matchroom Boxing YouTube channel about the contenders to share the ring with his fighter on that night.
“He’s ready to fight anybody. He’d love to fight Oleksandr Usyk again, he’d love to fight Tyson Fury. Happy to fight [Filip] Hrgovic, happy to fight [Daniel] Dubois, happy to fight [Joseph] Parker, [Deontay] Wilder. You have not got a problem with Anthony Joshua. Literally, anybody who wants it can get it.”
On the possibility of a meeting between Joshua and Fury, Hearn reasoned: “If Usyk’s injured, can’t make the date, do you make Fury versus Joshua, with the winner fighting Usyk? The answer for me is yes please.”
Hearn’s comments reflect Joshua’s confidence in his ability, suggesting that he genuinely believes he can beat any of the world’s top heavyweights. Below is a look at each of the contenders, ranked by the likelihood of them facing ‘AJ’ next.
6. Tyson Fury
Record: 34-1-1
The prospect of Fury and Joshua trading blows has been something of a holy grail ideal for a long while and ‘The Gypsy King’ finally losing his undefeated record may mean it is closer to becoming a reality. A meeting of this pair would serve as a sizable opportunity to restore any wounded pride that Fury may have after his recent defeat. Even so, the already pencilled-in October rematch with Usyk seems like a more likely next move for the Morecambe man.
5. Oleksandr Usyk
Record: 22-0
Given that Joshua has already lost two successive clashes with the new undisputed heavyweight king, a third and final shot at the Ukrainian four-belt holder, is dripping with narrative.
However, given the mental and physical toll of being at the summit of your field, the Simferopol-born southpaw may well opt for a sabbatical if he doesn’t end up rematching Fury, rather than jumping back into the ring in four months’ time.
4. Filip Hrgovic
Record: 17-0
Hrgovic is on a streak of 17 fights unbeaten but hasn’t fought since defeating Mark De Mori in December 2023. That period of inactivity will come to an end when he faces Daniel Dubois on 1st of June in Saudi Arabia – potentially for the IBF heavyweight title if Usyk is stripped of it as expected.
Should the Croatian not bring a title to the table, then it is unlikely that he will get the call to be Joshua’s next foe.
3. Daniel Dubois
Record: 20-2
South London slugger Dubois could punch his ticket to face Joshua if he successfully defeats Hrgovic at the start of next month. The all-British clash would have Wembley buzzing, particularly if Dubois is able to bring the IBF heavyweight title into the equation.
The 26-year-old gave Usyk a scare back in August of last year and is more than capable of upsetting Joshua’s planned redemption story.
2. Joseph Parker
Record: 35-3
If Joshua is not able to challenge for the IBF belt, then it stands to reason that he will want to face the best available competition. New Zealander Parker has made no secret of his desire to once again step into the ring with Joshua, having suffered his first professional defeat to the Watford man back in 2018.
Parker even went as far as to call Joshua out in an Ed Sheeran-inspired parody video earlier this year. The 32-year-old is in some of the best form of his career, having recently picked up wins over Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang and could easily upset Joshua’s future plans.
1. Deontay Wilder
Record: 43-3-1
A fight between Joshua and Wilder is one that fans have wanted to see for much of the last decade. While there is much talk of a potential title opportunity for Joshua on the Wembley show, Turki Alalshikh has been open about his desire to deliver the biggest available fights to the world.
With Fury and Usyk likely tied up with one another until the end of 2024, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ represents the biggest available name for Joshua to fight on the 21st of September. The Alabama native is another heavyweight who will be in action on the June 1st card. If he wins his main event clash with Zhilei Zhang then the door could finally be open for Joshua vs Wilder to be made.
