After dismantling Klitschko before some 90,000 people at the Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom by way of 11th round TKO win, Joshua has retained his IBF Heavyweight title and bagged the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles.
Joshua is very popular in the in UK but not in the US. This is the reason why Joshua’s handlers are eager to stage a fight in the US for the 27-year-old British Heavyweight world champion.
Joshua is a veteran of the 2012 London Olympics and after turning pro in 2013, he won all his 19 fights via knockout with most of his fights ending under three rounds.
With his impressive win over Klitschko last Saturday, Joshua needs to face the best fighter in his division to validate his claim for greatness.
One of the toughest heavyweight contenders in the heavyweight division is reigning WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who is also a former Olympian in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and unbeaten in his pro career.
Like Joshua, the 31-year-old Wilder is also a knockout artist having won 37 of his 38 career fights via KO.
Compatriot and former heavyweight king Tyson Fury has called out Joshua after the Klitschko fight but it is doubtful if he is ready to return after his reported bout with illegal drugs.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn said Fury has a long way to go before regaining his fighting form.
“ He (Tyson Fury) is miles away from fighting. He is in a terrible physical way at the moment. He doesn’t have a licence, he needs to go back to the board, and he is under investigation for a failed test. Hearn said.
“There is no one that wants to see him back more than me, but it is miles away. He is not the next fight because he won’t be ready in time,” Hearn added.
The other probable contender in the heavyweight Top 10 Ring rating would include unbeaten Cuban heavyweight king Luis Ortiz, who is likewise unbeaten in 27 fights.
In 2016, Ortiz challenged Joshua in a title fight but now the 38-year-old unbeaten Cuban—after seeing Joshua struggled in the ring with Klitschko—is more than ever resolved to go toe-to-toe with Joshua.
“I feel more than ever that I will ko Joshua within 8 rounds – but I also feel that after Klitschko dropped Joshua with one punch that Eddie Hearn will never let Joshua get in the ring with me. To me Klitschko let him off the hook. I wouldn’t have. I would have had him out of there in that 6th round,” said Ortiz to BoxingScene.com.
Stephen Espinoza, head of Showtime Sports believes the Joshua-Wilder fight will soon take place in the US and as a boxing fan he wants it to happen right away.
“I would say probably as a programmer and marketer, I probably want a couple of fights in the US to allow Anthony to get more acquainted, and more of a household name in the US market. But as a boxing fan, they are two young, strong guys in the prime of their career, and it’s almost a foregone conclusion that they will fight, so why not do it right away.” Espinoza said.
While there a couple of challengers for Joshua’s US debut, Wilder is by far the top choice by fans familiar with the fighting styles of both Joshua and Wilder, who are both undefeated knockout artists.
