Anthony Joshua is in limbo with retirement looming, but he could go out with a bang if these five next fight options are anything to go by…
Having built up a head of steam, dismantling Francis Ngannou, and pummelling Otto Wallin, the hype surrounding Joshua as he reached his supposed final form was massive, so the sobering defeat to Daniel Dubois was a severe blow.
Joshua headed into his third fight at Wembley Stadium widely backed to become a three-time world heavyweight champion, but he faced an immovable object in September 2024.
Dubois, who was also on a great run of form, was not to be denied on what proved to be his coming-out party in front of a home crowd, delivering a statement fifth-round knockout victory.
Joshua, clearly overconfident after not taking Dubois seriously enough in camp, was wide open and got caught with a huge right hand in the final seconds of the opening round, to which he never recovered.
The 35-year-old showed great heart to just about stay in the fight after also being floored in the third and fourth rounds, threatening a remarkable comeback by hurting Dubois in the fifth, only for the younger and hungrier boxer to deliver the knockout blow.
Subsequent injury niggles have extended Joshua’s period of inactivity, but promoter Eddie Hearn has indicated he should be fit to return for one fight in 2025 before having a likely swansong in 2026.
Despite coming off an even bigger low than the shock Andy Ruiz loss and back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s immense star power ensures he will never be short of fight options, with these five options the most tantalising of them all…
Tyson Fury
Surely it has to happen at some point. Please…
Turki Al-Sheikh’s emergence as boxing’s most powerful individual has taken the sport to a new level, with Saudi backing ensuring boxing fans are being treated to more super fights per year than ever before.
But, Fury vs Joshua is one mega-fight that still risks falling by the wayside, with not even a seemingly endless pot of cash enough to make the stars align to ensure this all-British dream bout happens.
Al-Sheikh’s takeover of boxing has brought Fury vs Joshua closer than ever, but the outcomes of their recent fights have seen the two Brits drift apart once again, with the ‘Gypsy King’ currently going through his latest retirement phase.
Fury is very much the boy who cried wolf when it comes to boxing retirements. This time, he’s stuck to his word longer than anticipated, but it still seems only a matter of time before he returns and, if/when he does, the Joshua fight would be the only one to make.
With Fury and Joshua well past their peak, this match-up is not as big as it once was, but it remains one of the largest near-miss bouts in boxing history, so they would be daft not to cash in while the iron’s still hot before they each – for real this time – ride off into the sunset.
Deontay Wilder
Al-Sheikh has got more right than wrong in his boxing revolution, but perhaps his biggest mistake was putting Joshua and Wilder on the same card, in different fights, in December 2023.
The intention was for Anthony Joshua and Wilder to have warm-up bouts on the same night against Wallin and Joseph Parker respectively, before finally facing off themselves at the start of 2024. But this best-laid plan fell apart once the ‘Bronze Bomber’ was on the end of a brutal one-sided points loss to the former world champion.
Joshua vs Wilder was once billed as the best fight to make in boxing, as their explosive styles should mesh perfectly. Yet, like the Fury bout, we may never see it as politics and poor decision-making have got in the way.
Wilder subsequently looked to be sent into retirement, as an unrecognisable punch-shy version of the once cold-hearted killer was bullied by Zhilei Zhang in June 2024 and stopped in five rounds.
In the defeats to Parker and Zhang, Wilder appeared to have no fight left, but he has a comeback bout against Tyrrell Herndon on June 27, during which we will learn if he’s got his hunger back.
It is doubtful, but he does appear to be lobbying for at least one more big fight and the eagerly-awaited Joshua contest needs to be at the forefront as a leading option for each man, with significant demand still there.
Daniel Dubois
Alternatively, Anthony Joshua could go down the rematch route and pursue another showdown with Dubois.
A theme of Joshua’s career is that he has always tried to right wrongs after defeats, which he did in his rematch with Ruiz Jr before coming up short a second time against a superior Usyk.
So, if the Fury and Wilder big-money fights are off the table, you have to imagine that pride will take over and Joshua will demand the Dubois rematch.
Would it be wise to take such a high-risk fight against a dangerous world-level opponent as his first back after a long lay-off? Probably not. But Joshua is at the stage where he needs to accept the best-paid fight, roll the dice or just hang up the gloves.
Joshua could tick the second option with the Dubois rematch and may even battle for another world title if his former foe defeats Usyk next month. As one-sided as their first fight was, he would likely fancy himself (foolishly or not) to get revenge if he adopts a whole new game plan, though that would be a big ask at this stage of his career.
Joseph Parker
Anthony Joshua could also secure another world title shot via a rematch with Parker, with the New Zealander the first in line for a clash with the Usyk/Dubois winner, while a vacant title could be up for grabs if the belts are spread after July’s undisputed bout.
AJ previously beat Parker in March 2018 to move to 21-0, dominating over the distance to achieve a rare points victory.
In the months and years following this bout, there was no demand for a rematch as Parker moved down a level, while Joshua remained at the peak of the heavyweight division.
However, the scene has altered dramatically over the past couple of years, with Parker overtaking Joshua in the heavyweight pecking order as one of the division’s most-improved fighters under the tutelage of respected cornerman Andy Lee.
Despite Joshua winning their first fight convincingly, he would enter the rematch as a clear underdog and would be causing an upset were he to beat Parker for a second time. It would require a statement performance, of which he may not have left in him.
Moses Itauma
Anthony Joshua has already passed the torch to Dubois and he could do so again with Itauma, who is arguably the best young prospect the sport has to offer.
Despite only being a mere 20 years old, Itauma has emphatically brushed aside all opponents in his 12-fight career and he’s expected to continue his upward trajectory against a past-it Dillian Whyte, who you hope is being suitably recompensed for the battering he will likely receive in August.
Whyte is the perfect fight at the right time for Itauma, who is being fed a recognizable name to launch his move to contesting for world honors.
Once Itauma gets past Whyte, there will be no going back for the youngster as he needs to face more star attractions with heaps of experience en route to becoming a world contender… which is where Joshua comes in.
As Joshua’s team tried and failed to talk him out of fighting Usyk, there should be the same level of precaution with the Itauma bout due to the starlet’s frightening punch power.
But Joshua has always revelled in a dust-up and with Itauma’s punch resistance yet to be evaluated, the elder statesman would be an ideal opponent to test his resolve.
Also, AJ should relish the challenge of facing boxing’s brightest up-and-comer and should the worst happen, he’d probably take solace in exiting the sport while making Britain’s next heavyweight star.
