Former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has fought just once since that brutal knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. That was, of course, the famed sixth-round knockout win against Jake Paul in Miami last December, with AJ claiming a huge pot of cash worth north of $40m to beat a man far smaller and far less talented than himself. However, personal tragedy on a trip to Nigeria shortly after that win has left many wondering whether the 2012 Olympic gold medalist will ever return to the ring.
But in the aftermath of Tyson Fury’s recent return to the ring after a 16-month layoff – the Gypsy King claiming a wide unanimous decision on April 11th against Russian powerhouse Arslanbek Makhmudov – talks of a “Battle of Britain” dream fight were once again thrust into the headlines. Fury, a two-time world heavyweight champion as well, immediately proceeded to call out Joshua post-fight, telling his long-time nemesis to get in the ring. AJ, however, refused, perhaps in a bid to ruffle the feathers of Netflix, Turki Alalshikh, and Fury himself.
Will Joshua vs Fury Finally Happen?
Online betting sites clearly think that the fight will happen next. Despite no fight yet being announced, crypto betting sites have already priced up a clash between the two British icons, positioning Fury as a 1/2 favorite and Joshua a 6/4 underdog. But what if AJ’s reluctance to get in the ring was an indication that he’s not yet willing to go up against the Gypsy King?
When interviewed by Netflix in the immediate aftermath of Fury vs Makhmudov, Joshua said: “I have been at this table with him many times. In my heart, I’d fight Fury tomorrow, especially after watching that. There is no problem fighting him,” He continued, “I am not here to get clout. I am here to fight. The contract will be sent over, we will go through the nitty-gritty, and you will probably see us in the ring next, more than likely.”
But what if we don’t? Are there any real fights left out there for Joshua other than the long-overdue Fury clash? He has twice lost to Oleksandr Usyk, while he was also dominated by Dubois when those two clashed in front of a record 95,000 at Wembley nearly two years ago. The rest of the division he has seemingly already beaten.
Well, here are three other interesting options for Joshua should a clash with the Gypsy King once again fall through.
Deontay Wilder
A decade ago, Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder was the biggest fight in boxing. AJ had scooped up three-quarters of the heavyweight pie with his title wins against Charles Martin and Wladimir Klitschko, while the Bronze Bomber held the missing piece of the puzzle. The American knockout artist claimed the WBC title with a decision victory against Bermane Stiverne before going on to defend the title repeatedly by knocking out the likes of Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, and Luis Ortiz.
Despite numerous attempts, the undisputed clash between the pair was never made, and in time, both men lost their stranglehold on the heavyweight boxing throne. Joshua was knocked out by Andy Ruiz, and by the time he’d reclaimed the gold, Wilder had lost his strap to Fury. Over the years that followed, Usyk would go on to claim the division for himself, twice beating both Joshua and Fury, while Wilder has since lost to the likes of Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang.
Those Wilder defeats, coupled with AJ’s loss to Dubois, had many feeling that a clash between the two would never materialize. However, the Bronze Bomber has since returned to relevancy at the ripe old age of 40. His recent thrilling decision victory against the retiring Derek Chisora has seemingly positioned him at the summit of the division once again, and if a fight between Fury and Joshua doesn’t come to fruition, then Wilder is a tailor-made replacement that would still provide monstrous pay-per-view numbers.
Wilder is no longer the fearsome knockout artist he once was. Prior to him getting in the ring with Fury for the first time back in 2018, he was 40-0 with 39 knockouts. Since then, he is 5-4-1, with four knockouts. Joshua’s suspect chin was one of the many aspects people cited as a reason for him not getting in the ring with Wilder before. With that fearsome power now firmly in the rearview mirror, a lucrative clash between the two, albeit ten years overdue, could still be a mouth-watering proposition.
Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois Winner
While Usyk remains the king of the division, he is no longer the undisputed champion. He surrendered the WBO portion of the gold when he was unable to step in the ring with mandatory challenger Joseph Parker, vacating as opposed to fighting through an injury. The Kiwi would then lose his clash for the vacant title against Britain’s Fabio Wardley, who will now make his first defence of the gold in Manchester at the end of May.
Whoever emerges as the winner of that fight could well represent the perfect way for Joshua to return to title contention. Whoever wins would almost certainly opt to face this aging version of AJ due to the sheer amount of financial weight behind all of his fights. And both of them will likely feel they could emerge victorious. Indeed, Dubois already knows he can beat Joshua; he’s done it before. Wardley would also fancy his fearsome knockout power to get through to Joshua and ultimately close the show.
