Anthony Joshua used to be one of the biggest names in heavyweight boxing, having held multiple world titles in the division. However, much of that status is being gradually eroded. The British-born boxer recently won a 12-round fight against Jermaine Franklin. It was a fight that came after his third defeat in the last five bouts, which cost him three heavyweight titles.
Joshua, who previously held the World Boxing Association (WBA), International Boxing Federation (IBF) and World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight titles, lost all three when he failed to reclaim them from Ukrainian champion Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in August 2022.
As the 33-year-old began to work towards reckoning once more, the April 1 fight with Franklin at the O2 Arena in Greenwich, London, was considered a step towards earning the right to challenge for heavyweight title bouts.
Yet, Joshua’s defeat of Franklin at the O2 Arena, although via an unanimous decision, was not the convincing performance that his fans expected. He admitted in post-fight comments that he was “not happy” with his performance, as he failed to knock out his opponent, which was the expectation in many quarters.
Joshua, who produced an improved performance under his new American coach James, frustrated many viewers and a good portion of his hardcore fans that had believed it was going to be child’s play taking Franklin out. He had been unwilling to fire off his previously devastating right-hand, filling the fight up with lacklustre efforts to land combinations. Although, he managed the rounds effectively to clinch the match, he looked short of his previous battling best.
This lack of aggression was highlighted by Joshua’s long-term rival Dillian Whyte, who taunted him after the fight and claimed that the British fighter had lost his edge. It so happened that a heated altercation occurred between Joshua and Franklin after their bout. Both fighters appeared to go for a knockout blow in the final round, leading to their respective corners and security intervening. During the melee, it appeared as though Joshua tapped the back of Franklin’s head before the American reacted angrily. Franklin’s strength and conditioning trainer, Lorenzo Reynolds, reportedly attempted to involve himself and accost Joshua after the bout, leading to a further altercation with DAZN staffer Tony Bellew. Fortunately, the situation was eventually calmed down by BBC’s Steve Bunce.
Whyte taunted Joshua that he showed more aggression in this melee than throughout the fight itself.
There is merit in the criticism that Joshua has faced for his performance against Franklin, with some questioning his motivation for continuing to fight. Former world champion Carl Froch questioned why Joshua bothered to continue fighting because it seemed the fire that won him his previous titles had died. Froch claimed it could not be for the money alone given that Joshua had already earned over £100m in earnings over the years. It tallied with the evaluation of the fight by Whyte, who also criticised Joshua’s lack of aggression in the ring, rightly claiming that many fans expected a more clinical performance from the former heavyweight champion.
However, while Joshua remains focused on improving his championship credentials, the question that has occupied the minds of boxing enthusiasts and fans is what is next for him, on the one hand, and who could his potential opponents be, on the other.
For the boxer himself, Joshua has expressed interest in fighting Tyson Fury for the World Boxing Council (WBC) Heavyweight Championship. Indeed, Joshua called on Fury to take up the challenge, saying in post-fight comments in the aftermath of his 12-round victory over Franklin. Joshua threw down the gauntlet, challenging Fury to pick up: “If he’s listening, he knows my promoter; we’ve had dialogue before, so let’s continue this. We ain’t getting any younger.”
Fury is undoubtedly the biggest draw in heavyweight boxing and the prospect of a Joshua-Fury clash has tantalised fans for years. Both fighters came very close to agreeing on a blockbuster fight, only for it to fall through at the last minute. Yet, there are those in Joshua’s corner who are advising for restraint and counselling for caution, given Joshua’s performance against Franklin and the fact of his confidence levels. A further defeat, probably via a technical knockout may permanently spell doom for the career of the Brit former champion. Those recommending this cautious path include his promoter Hearn and his new trainer Derrick James. They have publicly counselled for caution, especially immediately after Joshua’s comeback win against Franklin. Hearn, a veteran in the business side of the game, strongly believes that Joshua needs to regain his confidence in the ring and make improvements to his style and technique before facing Fury, who is widely considered to be one of the best heavyweight fighters in the world.
Talks between Hearn and Fury’s promoter Frank Warren have been difficult due to bad blood in their previous negotiations. The potential fight between two of the top-ranked British boxers has been teased for almost a decade and the negotiations held back what would have been a highly explosive bout. A potential for that to happen now is quite far-fetched with Joshua unable to have the upper hand in any agreement that may result as he has no bargaining power sans any of his previous titles. Still, the possibility exists due mostly to the interest it will arouse in the UK and abroad, with the Middle East remaining a possible location for the bout, as it was when the initial negotiations inexorably broke down. Despite the call for Joshua to exercise caution in attempting to accelerate his push for a heavyweight title belt around his midriff, there is no doubt that boxing fans will be eagerly anticipating a 12-round all-out between Joshua and Fury.
Should the need for an appropriately paced development before engaging a titled opponent prevail, Joshua’s future will be more uncertain than it is at the moment, as it will widen the spectrum of potential opponents for the boxer of Nigerian ancestry. Some of these potentials that he could challenge before going against Fury include Dillian Whyte, Joe Joyce, or Deontay Wilder. Hearn, who wants a more cautious approach, has stated that he believes it would be better for his client to fight Whyte before facing Fury in the ring. The boxing promoter remarked: “Some fights are there to be made and you get one chance to do it.” He opined that Joshua considers Whyte, Wilder, or Joyce in the interim as he builds up stamina, confidence, poise and the rebuilding of his wicked right-hand suckerpunch towards a title challenge.
Wilder will be a solid option as well for Joshua. Although their fight has been a long time coming, it would still generate significant interest among boxing fans. A win over Wilder would provide Joshua with a much-needed boost to his confidence and cement his status as a top-tier fighter. Of those names in Joshua’s list of options to fight, Joyce is one of the most preferable options. The British boxer, who has held the WBO interim heavyweight title since 2022, is currently the number one challenger for one of Usyk’s titles, the WBO belt. However, there is a set of obstacles against Joshua getting to take on Joyce.
Apart from the fact that Joyce is set to fight Usyk when the opportunity provides itself, Joshua does not get to challenge him now because there is already a scheduled fight between Joyce and China’s Zhilei Zhang on April 15 at the Copper Box Arena in London. If Joyce wins, he is likely to call out Joshua.
Although Joyce may not be as charismatic or as well-known as Joshua or Fury, he is a talented fighter with an unbeaten record which earned him the nickname “The Juggernaut”. This will give Joshua a chance to prove himself against a rising star in the division.
Furthermore, taking on Whyte would present Joshua with an excellent opportunity to prove himself against a tough and determined fighter. If Joshua is able to defeat Whyte convincingly, it would go a long way towards restoring his reputation as a top-tier heavyweight. The same Franklin, who was Joshua’s opponent in the recent bout, had previously lost to Whyte too. This gave Whyte the gravitas to criticise Joshua’s performance after the fight and repeatedly taunt him for losing the aggressive side of his skill set in the ring. It all creates the perfect stage for a Joshua/Whyte bout and will increase interest in their head-to-head after their December 12, 2015 fight at the O2 Arena. This would be a renewed battle eight years later, and it would likely be a different fight altogether, with Whyte honing his craft in the years following his previous defeat. Moreover, this fight would provide Joshua with an opportunity to prove his critics wrong and rediscover his aggressive qualities that made him a two-time heavyweight world champion.
Hearn expects Joshua to fight twice more in 2023 – once in the summer, then in December. While Joshua has his sights set on a fight against Fury, the prospect of Joshua and Whyte going toe-to-toe in the ring for the second time in their professional careers has very attractive prospects for both boxers. Joshua displayed his knockout qualities with a signature uppercut on Whyte when the pair previously fought in that 2015 bout. Ultimately, Joshua’s future opponents will depend on a variety of factors, including the scheduling and negotiations with rival promoters and broadcasters. Boxing fans will undoubtedly be eagerly anticipating Joshua’s next fight, hoping to see a more dominant performance from the former world champion.
Yet, even though Joshua won every round in his comeback fight, he declined to follow up with the big right which had knocked out all his opponents before he started losing. It will be to his advantage if he can rediscover his style balance and power punches before taking on big heavyweight hitters like Wilder.
Apart from Joyce being the WBO challenger for Usyk’s ebony title, WBA (Regular) world champion Dubois is the mandatory challenger for the WBA (Super) heavyweight title that Usyk holds. Any of these fights can be arranged following the breakdown in talks for Usyk to face Fury and this would leave the winner well placed to be challenged by Joshua should his next bouts go dreamily well for him and he can bring his knockout game back into action rather than disappointing 12-round tiresome bouts.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
