Who's next for Anthony Joshua?

At British Boxing Blog, we felt that Anthony Joshua would win by knockout against Dillian Whyte which he did. We didn’t however envisage just how this fight would pan out. And that’s what Whyte successfully made this; a fight. Eddie Hearn’s great heavyweight hope survived a sticky second round to re-establish his jab and stop his rival in the seventh with a savage uppercut. Questions were asked of AJ, and he definitely answered some of them. Some remained unanswered and will do so until he steps up in class. Hearn has already announced he intends to have the new British champion out next on 9th April 2016. We have a look at some potential opponents for him in his next bout.

Derek Chisora – “Del Boy” is suddenly a viable option following his departure from Frank Warren’s stewardship and recent signing with Sauerland, whom Matchroom have amicably dealt with on several occasions. He has two stoppage victories in a week and is a recognisable name in British boxing circles. There has been some criticism of him as the next AJ opponent but he is definitely a step up from his other victims (Whyte can be argued). Chisora is a former British, Commonwealth and European champion who went the distance with Vitali Klitschko. He is undoubtedly past his best but has only lost to elite opponents and would prove a good marker of where AJ is at beyond the domestic scene while sticking to the Matchroom plan of not rushing him to world level competition. As David Haye mentioned, he stopped Chisora in five rounds so there would be the obvious comparison there if this bout does come to fruition.

Likelihood of happening: Extremely high

David Haye – Ahead of his recently announced comeback, Haye has been very prominent in the media and was on pundit duty for Sky Sports Box Office. This matchup will have massive casual appeal and would provide Sky with compelling build up material. The new kid on the block against the former world champion is a nice narrative anyway, without the addition of Haye’s personality and AJ’s perceived invincibility. Haye faces Mark De Mori next in his aforementioned comeback bout in January 2016, so provided he comes through that unscathed expect Sky / Matchroom to plug this clash more and more. Personally, I’d like to see one of them with a world title before this gets made.

Likelihood of happening: High (but not until late 2016 at the earliest)

Tyson Fury – Regardless of what the IBF would have you believe, Fury is the heavyweight champion of the world. He has the small matter of a rematch with former champ Wladimir Klitschko to contend with (as well as everyone who suddenly has an opinion on boxers as role models) so it’s unlikely that he has a 15 fight novice on his radar. Like him or not, Fury has earned his stripes and won’t be dictated to. Hopefully, a unification fight against WBC champion, USA’s Deontay Wilder, will happen next year, which means Joshua won’t realistically get his shot until 2017. Recent comments from Peter Fury, where he suggested AJ is 3 years away from world level also make this bout a distant possibility. A more realistic option from the Fury camp might be Tyson's younger cousin Hughie, however it is also difficult to envisage this being made. Both men are young, especially for the heavyweight division, and it would be a massive risk at this stage of AJ's career, with relatively little reward on offer.

Likelihood of happening: Low

Erkan Teper – Recent David Price conqueror and current EBU European champion makes a lot of sense. The German heavyweight would definitely represent a step up in competition for AJ, as well as offering the opportunity of progressing from British / Commonwealth level to European. A well-trodden and respected path in British boxing. He also boasts victories over several British foes; in addition to Price, he stopped both Martin Rogan and Michael Sprott in the first round. There is no doubt this would be an easy sell for Sky and Matchroom but do they want to take the risk just yet? With 10 stoppage wins from 15 fights, Teper is at a similar stage in his career to AJ and would ask further questions of his chin. At 33 years of age, and having only gone the full twelve rounds once in his career, it’s unlikely he would look to drag Joshua into the later rounds. However it has all the potential to be an intriguing contest as long as it lasts.

Likelihood of happening: Unlikely (but stranger things have happened)

Tony Thompson – Another easy sell based mainly on what he did to David Price (twice). “The Tiger” is 44 years old but could still provide AJ with what Kevin Johnson was supposed to. A brash, confident American with boxing nous and experience could show Joshua tricks he has yet to encounter as a pro. It is undoubtedly a fight he would be expected to win but Thompson has been in that position before and thrived. His last outing, a points loss to recent world title challenger Malik Scott, shows he still has something to give. Thompson is no stranger to going the full twelve and has mixed in elite company regularly. This alone means he offers something that others (apart from maybe Chisora) don’t. His only stoppage defeats were against the younger Klitschko brother, so he knows how to deal with the championship distance; something Anthony Joshua is yet to do.

Likelihood of happening: Outside chance

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