Anthony Joshua’s explosive knockout victory over rival Dillian Whyte earned him the British and Commonwealth titles in an entertaining affair on Saturday
But Joshua experienced adversity for the first time in his professional career in the second round, as the 26-year-old was buzzed on the ropes by a blistering punch from Whyte to get the action going at The O2 Arena in London.
Now the question remains: Who should Joshua clash with next? We have a list of potential fighters.
1. Dillian Whyte: A rematch is a great option because it was his sternest challenge to date. Joshua had never been taken further than the third round until Saturday. Joshua went on to say, “Kevin Johnson and Denis Bakhtov were supposed to give me rounds, but it was Whyte who actually did it, so why not use him again?” he explained.
“I learned more against Whyte than I did in all 14 of my previous fights. I enjoyed it – it was a good fight.”
2. Dereck Chisora: Although not the most compelling matchup on paper, the brash Chisora has fought the likes of Tyson Fury, Kevin Johnson, Malik Scott, David Haye, Danny Williams, and Vitali Klitschko. Fury, who holds the WBA/WBO/IBO World heavyweight titles following a unanimous decision victory over ex-champion Wladimir Klitschko, is being considered for Joshua in the future, along with Malik Scott and David Haye.
3. David Haye: Haye is third on this list only for the reason of inactivity. The former two-division world champion has not fought in three years due to a serious shoulder injury. Although his doctors advised him to retire, Haye will be returning in January in a 10-round bout against Mark de Mori at The O2. Joshua will likely have to wait on a Haye domestic clash until the 35-year-old gets a couple fights in.
4. Hughie Fury: Like Joshua, Fury, the younger cousin of Tyson, stands at 6’6, and possesses a perfect record. On the other hand, Fury has been fighting slightly longer at the professional level than his compatriot. This would be another quintessential opportunity for Joshua to prove his worth against another undefeated challenger, and to put on another entertaining show for the British fans.
5: Malik Scott: Scott has a vulnerable chin. He was knocked down by a 44-year-old Tony Thompson, knocked out in the first round by Deontay Wilder, and stopped inside six by Dereck Chisora. A Joshua victory, which would likely come early, would not prove much of anything.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
I’ve followed tyson fury’s career since 2009 where he first started to capture the British publics attention with frequent tv appearances on channel 5. I can’t remember him creating as bigger stir as anthony joshua is doing now. AJ just seems more dangerous! Maybe this works in fury’s favour though as he has proved recently by entering the fight of his life as the underdog. Can joshua handle being the hyped fighter? He certainly seemed to be the more composed man in the build up to the whyte fight and puts himself over well infront of the press. I’d like to see AJ take the Hughie Fury fight just to see the antics the fury camp will create. If nothing else, the fury’s do bring entertainment to an otherwise formated build up process to fights.