Anthony Joshua returned to his winning track after years of suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk. Following yesterday’s resounding victory, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, indicated they intend to target bigger fights this summer.
AJ made a triumphant return to the ring on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The Briton defeated Jermaine Franklin on points after twelve rounds of pretty rough contest between the two heavyweights. After a fierce battle between two warriors, Anthony emerged victorious, and 989 Assassin lost for the second time in a row.
Anthony Joshua has won by unanimous decision pic.twitter.com/gtLKCtSqwW
— Naija (@Naija_PR) April 1, 2023
What does Eddie Hearn have in store for Anthony Joshua?
For quite some time, Eddie has been Joshua’s promoter. The British sports personality was quite sure about Joshua’s victory against Franklin. Eddie claimed that given that someone’s career was on the line, AJ’s performance in the ring was actually quite good yesterday. However, AJ fans had anticipated a knockout from their favorite boxer.
Anthony Joshua called for a heavyweight showdown against Tyson Fury after he battled to a points win over Jermaine Franklin 👀 pic.twitter.com/o2xYlguJl2
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) April 2, 2023
Before facing the American boxer, AJ quite a few times expressed his desire to fight Tyson Fury. Meanwhile, Fury has multiple times said he doesn’t want to face AJ as he was dead in his eyes. However, the chairman of Matchroom Sports has a different opponent in his plan. Eddie thinks Dillian Whyte would be the ideal man for Joshua at this point of his career.
“The Dillian Whyte fight is a great fight, and I think Dillian would be up for that. I think it’s a good fight for AJ coming off the back of Franklin, but if the Fury fight is there, we’d love to discuss it as well,” said Eddie.
The Gypsy King is still busy finalizing his fight contract with Oleksandr Usyk. Even though the heavyweight blockbuster battle is in jeopardy, Eddie is not completely losing his hope to set a deal with Fury. A year ago, ‘The Body Snatcher’ was the victim of Tyson. So it only makes sense if Joshua fights Whyte before facing Fury.
“I think AJ is going to raise his levels against better opposition and fighters that come to win. There may be a limited time to make the Tyson Fury fight, and that might be now, going into that fight as the underdog after tonight particularly.” Eddie Hearn added.
🗣️ "End of Summer then December" – @EddieHearn wants AJ to fight 3 times this year 👊 pic.twitter.com/KVA4AljakB
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 2, 2023
Who do you think Anthony Joshua should fight next? Does Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte make for AJ’s ideal next opponent? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
