Having taken the heavyweight division by storm over the past three years the options going into 2016 are endless for Anthony Joshua. Eddie Hearn claimed that there are many potential routes in which Joshua could line himself up for a world title shot.
I want to take a look at the possible avenues that Joshua and Hearn could go down and make a prediction about who are the likely opponents that will share a ring with the man from Watford.
Eddie Hearn suggested that Anthony Joshua’s fight on the April 9th could be against Chisora for the European title, Bryan Jennings, Bermane Stiverne or Johann Duhaupas. All are fights which could get made within the next few weeks. Except Chisora, these are all fighters which would be a good test for Joshua and show him where he is at this moment in time.
Further developments took place with the IBF offering Joshua the IBF route. Joshua is to be offered an IBF world title eliminator against Cameroonian, Carlos Takam (33-2-1, 25 Ko’s). Takam is a sturdy opponent with his most recent loss coming against Alexander Povetkin.
If this is the case, then Joshua has an unbelievable opportunity to fight for the IBF crown. The current champion is Charles Martin, who may be considered the weakest fighter out of all the heavyweight champions.
Joshua does have other options. He is ranked no.2 in the WBC so he could be mandated to fight the winner of Wilder vs. Povetkin, if that fight ever gets made. He is also ranked no.2 in the WBO. While Joshua is still building his career, he is not currently at the stage to face Wilder or Fury yet. One must remember that he has only had 15 fights with only one of those going past three rounds.
The option of Dabid Haye is on the cards for a future domestic dust up, which is likely to attract the UK public’s attention. Haye currently is the more experienced man and he may be a few fights too early for Joshua. Haye’s movement, his speed, his ring IQ, not to mention the vast punching power could prove to be too much for Joshua just now.
The best option for Joshua is to take the IBF route and put himself in a mandatory position to fight Charles Martin. Eddie Hearn is smart enough to do that and if he does then we could see Joshua become world champion by the end of 2016.
– Tom Eckett
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