What’s Next for Anthony Joshua After the Alexander Povetkin Bout?
After the Deontay Wilder negotiations fell through, the next-biggest fight that Anthony Joshua could have had was against the dangerous Alexander Povetkin. Admittedly, the now 39-year old fighter is not ‘dangerous’ in the usual sense, having missed out on some vital fighting time, and nearly finding himself knocked out by David Price in the Joshua v Parker undercard.
With Joshua in a seemingly unstoppable mood, who exactly will be next in line to fight him after Povetkin?
One fight, Three choices
The near-undisputed heavyweight champion has previously stated that he will be looking at two fights a year. Regardless of who he faces, Anthony Joshua fight odds at William Hill are set to place him as a favorite, ahead of the proposed date of his second bout of the current schedule, Apri 13 (at Wembley Stadium). Yet, with an opponent a long way from being announced, a lot of the justification behind his status as favorite depends on what happens in the next few months. If Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury fight, then everyone will be hoping he will face the winner of that bout, but the situation is far from certain.
‘Joshua v Wilder’ would obviously be the most entertaining bout, and the least predictable matchup of all. Given Wilder’s lack of (a need for) defense, and reliance on sheer power, there would be a significant chance of a Joshua knockout. Wilder would be exposed unless he could land one on Joshua first. However, if Fury somehow stuns Wilder, the world could witness a much more tactical affair, not too dissimilar to Fury’s match vs Vladimir Klitschko. Here, backing a win via decision would likely be a smart investment.
It is unlikely that any opponent other than Wilder or Fury would whet the appetite of fight fans. That said, the powers that be have little choice in the matter beyond Whyte and one of those fighters. The current Ring Magazine ratings have Joshua as number one with Wilder close behind him, and Fury currently in seventh, but rising, after his long layoff. Joseph Parker is above Fury for now, but Joshua has already outclassed him, while another top ten dweller – Luis Ortiz – is now 39 years old and stands no realistic chance against Joshua.
Joshua talks up Whyte rematch
Rounding off the top ten are Dominic Breazeale, whom Joshua has also beaten, along with Adam Kownacki and Jarrell Miller – neither of whom would last more than three rounds against Joshua. Ultimately, the only real choices are Wilder, Fury or a rematch with Dillian Whyte.
While not the ‘marquee’ Joshua opponent the world wants, he would be an interesting choice nonetheless. His overall fight game has improved since his knockout defeat to Joshua – yet, by the same token, Joshua would also be in better shape than ever come the time of this hypothetical fight. With Whyte learning to box with a greater sense of self preservation, ‘Joshua v Whyte 2’ is another one which would likely end up going to the scorecards.
Regardless of his next challenge, Joshua has been the victim of his own success. He has achieved so much so quickly, and people now expect him to fight only the best.