Anthony Joshua looked back to his best in a five-round victory over Otto Wallin earlier this month, and thoughts have immediately shifted to who he might face next.
The two-time heavyweight world champion’s form is unquestionably the result of regular exercise. Fans will want to see him maintain this trend into 2024 after his third bout of the year, which was a strong performance against Wallin.
Barry McGuigan recommended Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang, or Daniel Dubois for ‘AJ’s next appearance in his column for The Mirror.
With Deontay Wilder no longer an option, Anthony Joshua is searching for a rival to satisfy Saudi Arabia’s box office demands.
Let’s see Joshua take on Filip Hrgovic, Zhilei Zhang, or even Daniel Dubois if, as his promoter Eddie Hearn indicated, he is back in the hunt following his victory over Otto Wallin.
Against Wallin, Joshua performed his duties.He may choose to wait for the outcome of the fight between Fury and Usyk, but that might lead to a rematch.
Now that Wilder is cooked, it will be interesting to see who they match him with next. In the end, Joshua wants to win the world title again in 2024, ideally against Fury and most likely in Saudi Arabia.
Given that Hrgovic is now ranked #1 with the IBF—a title that will be taken away from the victor of Tyson Fury’s undisputed bout against Oleksandr Usyk because of a rematch clause that will prohibit a required defense—Hrgovic seems to be the most logical choice.
Zhang has already called out “AJ” if Joshua and Hrgovic do not compete for that open strap. Even if the younger guy easily defeated Jarrell Miller, the Dubois fight seems far less likely.