Anthony oluwafemi Joshua is the new king of boxing’s heavyweight division.
After his dramatic victory over Wladimir Klitschko, the 27 year-old seems set to become the sport’s newest global superstar. Not only did he knock out the Ukrainian legend, sending him to the canvas on three separate occasions before the 11th round stoppage, but the entire event has seen him propelled into the sporting stratosphere.
The sell-out Wembley crowd, the huge pay-per-view numbers, the excitement of the fight… the enormous interest in ‘AJ’ means the boxing world is his oyster.
So, who will be the next fighter lucky/brave/foolish enough to get into the ring with the new unified WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champ?
Here are the likeliest contenders:
Wladimir Klitschko
Klitschko has the option for a rematch, as it was written into his contract. Eddie Hearn says he won’t open talks with anyone until Klitschko decides if he wants to fight again. Joshua says he’s up for it, so that could happen in October or November – wherever it makes most money, be that Germany, UK, US or the Far East.
For Joshua, everything rests on what Klitschko decides.
However, there are plenty of other options available to Joshua should the 41 year-old decide to hang up his gloves.
Deontay Wilder
The WBC World heavyweight champion enjoyed a scouting mission from ringside at Wembley and confirmed his interest in fighting the winner – “You better believe it,” the Bronze Bomber replied when asked if his he wanted the winner up next.
Wilder is wild, unconventional and displays questionable technique at times, yet he has the equaliser – that right hand that turned out the lights of Artur Szpilka delivered a chilling illustration of his power.
Rocked by the average Eric Molina, it would appear unlikely that Wilder could go toe-to-toe with Joshua the same way as Klitschko did, but a straight shoot-out would provide compelling viewing.
Joseph Parker
The other current World heavyweight title holder with the WBO, Joseph Parker is already a seasoned 12-round fighter and until last saturday possessed a superior CV to AJ.
His fight with Hughie Fury was called off after the cousin of the lineal heavyweight champion suffered an injury, but hard-fought wins over Andy Ruiz Jr and Carlos Takam prove he could succeed where Wlad failed if AJ’s gas tank empties once more.
Luis Ortiz
The WBA manadatory challenger, Ortiz is in the “Who needs him?” camp, yet sooner or later will refuse step-aside money and demand his chance at the champ.
If AJ is to opt for a mandatory though, the awkward Cuban, who could give the Brit nightmares on the inside, may be dismissed in favour of the IBF mandatory contender Kubrat Pulev.
The Bulgarian has knocked back the AJ fight before but now looks keen to cash in, yet the 35-year-old would likely be dispatched in a similarly brutal fashion to his failed attempt vs Klitschko in 2014.
Tyson Fury
Immediately after his defeat of Klitschko, Joshua called out the fighter who is quickly becoming his biggest rival. The 28-year-old Fury unsurprisingly responded on Twitter, writing “challenge accepted”. Both seem confident of victory and willing to fight each other, both have beaten Klitschko and both represent the other’s most intriguing opponent within the UK. Fury’s biggest challenge could yet come in regaining his boxing licence amid his struggles with depression.
The former WBC cruiserweight champion’s unexpected defeat of David Haye has given him far more appeal in the heavyweight division than any would have predicted. He seems incapable of providing Joshua with much of a test, but the money involved in fighting the champion will become such that any potential offers will be tempting. A match-up between the two is also straightforward to make, given they are both promoted by Matchroom.
