Following back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua has an uphill battle to fulfil his desire to become a three-time world champion. The third defeat of his career means that he will have to look towards the contenders rather than the top fighters for his next bout.
However, despite his defeat, Joshua looked closer to his best against pound-for-pound king Usyk in Jeddah on August 20 and will have a host of lucrative options available to him. Joshua remains the third ranked heavyweight with both The Ring Magazine and BoxRec and a fight against former WBC champion Deontay Wilder has been touted.
Eddie Hearn has also suggested that Dillian Whyte could be the star's next opponent, with the former mandatory challenger for Tyson Fury's WBC crown having previously lost to Joshua in 2015. However, speaking to DAZN, with whom Joshua has signed a multi-year deal, Hearn suggested that a Wilder fight would be equal to Fury vs Usyk as the biggest fight in the divison.
