After Unification What Does the Future Hold for Anthony Joshua?

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For many boxing fans, Anthony Joshua’s recent fight was his biggest test yet as he took on New Zealander Joseph Parker in an attempt to unify the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Parker managed to take Joshua the distance, but it was the Brit who came out on top, winning by unanimous decision.

So, what does the future hold now for AJ as he goes in search of total domination of the heavyweight division? The fight that Anthony Joshua and the public want to see is with Deontay Wilder. Joshua owns every heavyweight belt right now, apart from Wilder’s WBC title, so it makes sense for the pair to meet in order to find out who is the true undisputed heavyweight king. It would be one of the biggest fights the division has seen for years, with both men confident that they will come out on top.

There’s been a lot of talk about this potential bout happening over the last few months. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has come out and repeatedly said they have tried to get the fight on but that team Wilder weren’t interested in talking. It does however seem more likely that the fight will happen, possibly in the UK this summer, as Wilder has himself announced that he is ready to fight Joshua. As we’ve seen in boxing on many occasions talk is cheap, so if Wilder isn’t wanting the mega fight just yet, Joshua will have to look elsewhere. One interesting option could be a rematch with Dillian Whyte. Whyte has come a long way since he fought Joshua and was extremely impressive against Lucas Browne last time out. Whyte was dominant, before he went on to knock the Australian out with a savage left, and he would certainly fancy the Joshua fight.

Joshua has also spoken before about the possibility of him fighting the former heavyweight king, Tyson Fury. Fury has been out of action a while and will likely need a few warm up fights before he eventually meets AJ in the ring. It is a fight the boxing world wants to see, and again it’s another huge bout, but they are more likely to meet in 2019 or possibly even 2020. As things stand, it has to be the Wilder fight for Joshua. Wilder has stated that he is ready to come to the UK and fight, which will be music to AJ’s ears as he feels more comfortable boxing at home, in his own time zone.

It would cap off an extraordinary 2018 for Joshua if he could end the year as the undisputed heavyweight king, and he would surely be on course to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Apart from this, one thing is a near enough certainty, which is AJ being crowned Sports Personality of the Year for 2018. Even more so, with victories against both Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder, as this would undoubtedly see him lift the prestigious award; as he is already the clear 7/4 favourite at renowned betting sites like Unibet.

Anyways, the future is bright for AJ and it would become even brighter if Wilder signs on the dotted line for what would be one of the biggest fights the UK has ever seen.

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