-
Nick Parkinson
Anthony Joshua is unlikely to regain the aura and dominance of his first reign as heavyweight world champion, but don’t rule him out of fighting for a title again after Saturday’s win over Jermaine Franklin — especially if the titles become scattered over the next year. And that’s exactly what Joshua and his team expect to happen.
Oleksandr Usyk currently holds three of the four major belts, but mandatory defense obligations mean the Ukrainian might not be able to hold on to the titles beyond this year. Tyson Fury has the other.
Joshua, 33, used to be No. 1 in the division and the sport’s biggest earner, but his lack of standing these days gives him less control of his destiny. He could be kept waiting deep into 2024 for a title shot, which makes an opponent like Dillian Whyte his best available option, while pushing him in the right direction for a chance of a title win.
But there are others in the mix. What is Joshua’s journey back to a title fight? Let’s take a look at how it could pan out for the former heavyweight champ.
Quick route, WBC against champion Tyson Fury
Joshua (25-3, 22 KOs) had his confidence restored by Saturday’s win, so much so that he welcomed a shot at English rival Fury next. It would be the quickest way of winning back a world title — but it seems unlikely.
The former WBA, IBF and WBO champion cruised to a comfortable, but unspectacular decision over Franklin (118-111, 117-111 and 117-111) after back-to-back decision losses to Usyk in world title fights.
“Well the ball’s in [Fury’s] court,” Joshua said after the fight. “I 100 percent would be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world.
“I stand here and say that proudly, that would be an honor. You know my management, you know my promoter, we’ve had dialogue before so let’s hopefully get this on sooner than later.”
But it didn’t work before. Attempts to make Fury-Joshua have twice collapsed, the most recent being for the pair to fight in December 2022.
Other options seem more likely for Joshua’s next move, while Fury is prioritizing another attempt at making an undisputed world title fight with Usyk in Saudi Arabia for November or December.
Familiar route, WBO against interim champion Joe Joyce
Joshua has sparred hundreds of rounds with Joyce, his English rival and former teammate on the Great Britain Olympic boxing squad. But their friendship cooled once Joyce turned professional and closed in on the heavyweight elite.
Joyce (15-0, 14 KOs) faces China’s Zhilei Zhang for his WBO interim title on April 15, and the winner will be in a good position to fight for one of the three world title belts held by Usyk.
Joyce, 37, is probably not risking the opportunity of fighting for a full world title, so a bout with Joshua is unlikely to happen unless Joshua (ranked No. 5 with the WBO) can get himself into a mandatory position with the WBO. The pair also have rival British promoters, another serious obstacle to making the fight a reality in the next 18 months unless it is not a mandatory defense or title eliminator.
Longer route, IBF No. 1 contender Filip Hrgovic
Joshua is only likely to face Hrgovic (15-0, 12 KOs) if the Croatian is kept waiting for a world title shot well into next year.
Hrgovic, 30, is the No. 1 contender with the IBF, and like Joyce, would likely prefer a title shot against Usyk. He would only face Joshua if ordered to do so as a title eliminator. Their promoters (Eddie Hearn and Kalle Sauerland) have recently worked together on fights, and Hrgovic might be tempted by the payday he could get if he travels to England to face Joshua.
Joshua is No. 5 in the latest IBF rankings, and Hrgovic seems a longer term possibility. Hrgovic is also waiting on the possibility he could face Usyk next, if Usyk and Fury fail to agree to terms.
Dead-end route, WBA ‘regular’ champion Daniel Dubois
After the collapse in talks for April 29, Usyk is now expected to make a defense against WBA mandatory challenger Daniel Dubois. If Usyk wins, talks will resume with Fury for a fight in Saudi Arabia at the end of the year.
Dubois, if he recovers from a knee injury in time, does not need Joshua — ranked No. 3 with the WBA — right now.
Joshua will have more work to do to earn a title shot via the WBA, which means beating Deontay Wilder or Martin Bakole. There are better routes to a world title for him.
Risky route, WBA and WBC No. 1 contender Deontay Wilder
Two of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division and both former champions. It seems like a natural fight, but it carries a lot of risk for Joshua who can take an easier route to a world title bout.
If the titles become splintered later this year, Joshua could end up disputing one of the belts against Wilder, and that would be a better time for the pair to fight than this summer.
Wilder is No. 1 with the WBC and WBA, so like others on this list, he has more leverage than Joshua and he may prefer to shelve any thoughts of fighting the Englishman until he has a title.
Beating Wilder is also not guaranteed. If he fights him before a title bout — and loses — it could leave him even further away from a title shot.
Most likely route, trilogy bout vs. Dillian Whyte
A third fight between Whyte and Joshua (Whyte won on points when they were amateurs, Joshua knocked out Whyte in seven rounds in 2015), would be popular with the British public and seems likely to be Joshua’s next move.
Whyte lost to Fury last year and if Joshua can beat him, it will boost his title hopes for later this year and 2024. Whyte also works with Hearn and it is a bout that could generate a large crowd at an outdoor stadium in London this summer.
“I didn’t think he looked good, he looked apprehensive,” Whyte said after watching Joshua beat Franklin from ringside. “Win, lose or draw, I would go for it.”
They have history and it all makes for a fascinating and entertaining buildup. It’s probably the biggest fight for Joshua this summer outside of Fury or Wilder.