Who can Anthony Joshua fight next?
Who do you want him to box?
Thursday 4 June 2015 09:53, UK
Anthony Joshua has wrecked a pathway through the heavyweight boxing scene with all 13 of his opponents stopped within three rounds – but who will his next opponent be?
With the 25-year-old prospect confirmed to box in the Manchester Arena in July we suggest who could provide him with his first real test...
David Price
It wasn’t so long ago that Price and not Joshua was seen as Britain’s great heavyweight hope - but it all came crashing down in emphatic fashion.
A pair of stoppage defeats to Tony Thompson ended a 15-0 streak and, with expectations dramatically lowered and Price still on the recovery trail, a match-up against Joshua could separate a true prospect from a fading force.
At 6’8” Price’s sheer height would represent a new challenge for Joshua, who would be outsized for the first time. The 31-year-old has insisted he wants to box Joshua “sooner rather than later” - and Sky Sports pundit Glenn McCrory believes Price is the perfect candidate.
Dillian Whyte
It is six years since Whyte knocked Joshua to the canvas en route to a unanimous decision victory in the amateur ranks. The bad blood has been boiling ever since...
Since that defeat, Joshua has claimed an Olympic gold medal and blazed through the professional scene while Whyte’s perfect 14-0 record has gone under the radar - largely due to the exposure afforded to his rival.
Aged 27 and having racked up five knockouts since returning from a two-year ban, Whyte is seen as a dangerous proposition and the continuing verbal warfare between the two would add a 'grudge match' element to an already-intriguing bout.
Kevin Johnson's pre-fight antics provided Joshua with his first real psychological examination but a clash with Whyte would be closer to the bone and any gameplan may become clouded with the craving for revenge.
Tony Thompson
The veteran American is hardly likely to be top of Joshua’s promoters’ wish-list but would provide a fascinating measuring stick regardless.
Now aged 43 and having won two and lost two in his last four bouts, Thompson’s career is heading towards its natural conclusion but his awkwardness and experience could give Joshua puzzles to solve.
A 6’5” southpaw with a 81.5" reach, the two-time challenger to Wladimir Klitschko would show Joshua different angles and force the Olympian to weave through a wingspan that matches his own.
Thompson has previous for wrecking the growth of British prodigies having ended David Price’s rise with two devastating knockouts in 2013, but would he be able to repeat that trick against the seemingly unstoppable Joshua?
Check out Anthony Joshua's best KOs here!
Mariusz Wach
Wach's only defeat in 31 fights remains a 2012 points loss to Wladimir Klitschko. He received enormous credit for lasting 12 rounds against the world champion, who had stopped seven out of his eight challengers previous to that bout.
A colossal right hand in the fifth round of that clash threatened to set Wach on the way to a shock victory and, despite a subsequent ban for doping, has strung together three wins in his native Poland since returning to the ring in October 2014.
Wach fights Konstantin Airich later this month and already has a win over Jason Gavern – both former Joshua victims – while he also stopped Christian Hammer (Tyson Fury’s most recent conquest) back in 2010.
Whether the 35-year-old would travel to England at this stage of his career is questionable but, with a 30-1 record, he would be a significant foe for Joshua.
Joseph Parker
Although not yet a household name, Parker is developing a reputation as New Zealand’s answer to Joshua. He boasts an identical 13-0 record and, at 23, is two years younger than the Englishman.
Having already blasted out Frans Botha and Irineu Costa (the Brazilian recently stopped by David Price), Parker is slowly developing his record in the same manner as Joshua - meaning a collision course is unlikely but attractive to fans.
At 6’4” with a 76" reach, Parker can’t match Joshua’s physical statistics but he competed at super-heavyweight as an amateur and has the advantage of having travelled to fight in Germany and the United States.
