Anthony Joshua’s team are finding it difficult to decide on the boxer’s next opponent in the ring, with two major members of his backroom in disagreement on his next bout.
Joshua has been vocal about his desire to fight the retired Tyson Fury following the Brit’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, but trainer Ben Davison would prefer he took on the Ukrainian instead.
On the other hand, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn is keen for the 35-year-old to rematch Daniel Dubois or bring Fury out of retirement. Most recently, Joshua was knocked out by Dubois in September 2024 in a bid to win the IBF heavyweight title, and is yet to step back into the ring for another fight. Hearn confirmed earlier this year that the former world champion is recovering from a “minor setback” in training, but anticipation is only continuing to grow for his upcoming fight announcement. Davison told Boxing Scene that he’d love to “make things right” for Joshua by coaching him to beat Usyk, after the Ukrainian gained all of the Brit’s heavyweight titles during their previous two fights.
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Usyk won the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles from Joshua in 2021, and retained these – plus The Ring title – a year later in August 2022. “Being selfish, I’d really like to put that Usyk fight right for him,” Davison said, before issuing a warning for the champ.
“I don’t know if that’s even doable. But that’s something that I would love to help him do. That’s something I said to him first when came down to the gym, that I’m really confident that we’d be able to help him put that right.”
Meanwhile, promoter Hearn is in a different school of thought – he’d much rather coax Fury out of retirement or set up a rematch with the last man to knock Joshua down in the ring. The 45-year-old surprisingly noted that Joseph Parker could be another bout for the Brit, if the first two aren’t available.
Hearn said (via Si.com): “So if he doesn’t fight one of those two guys, he has to fight someone, and he’s going to want to fight someone in the top 10. And Joseph Parker right now is on one of the hottest runs. I mean, if Dubois doesn’t fight Usyk, I’d like to see Dubois fight Parker as well, because I think Joe deserves a shot at a world heavyweight title.
“But, obviously, if there’s a big unification fight for undisputed, then Joe is going to need another dance partner, and maybe it’s a Joshua rematch.”
With Dubois slated to fight Parker by the WBO to defend his title, and Usyk also targeted by the IBF heavyweight holder, Joshua’s next bout still remains uncertain. However, fans will continue to anticipate what will come next for the former heavyweight champion – no matter the opponent.
