What's next for Anthony Joshua? Tyson Fury? Deontay Wilder? Dillian Whyte?

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Anthony Joshua successful the ringing aft beating JErmaine Franklin

It wasn't vintage Anthony Joshua, but it was occupation done.

Going into Saturday's combat against Jermaine Franklin astatine London's O2 Arena, boxing fans wondered whether the British heavyweight could upwind backmost the years and present a objective show with a highlight-reel stoppage.

That wasn't to beryllium - a tentative Joshua won by a unanimous points decision, but his American hostile proved to beryllium a tougher trial than galore expected.

This was Joshua's archetypal combat nether caller trainer Derrick James, though, and the duo present person much clip to gel.

Promoter Eddie Hearn expects Joshua, 33, to combat doubly much successful 2023 - erstwhile successful the summer, past successful December - truthful what's adjacent for the English fighter?

Will we yet spot Joshua-Fury?

Tyson Fury smiles with his WBC loop astir his shoulders

After beating Franklin, Joshua - predictably - was asked whether helium was consenting to look chap Briton Tyson Fury - the WBC champion.

"That's the cookware of gold," helium said. "The WBC heavyweight champion of the world. That's what it's about.

"If the manager and squad accidental it's a bully opportunity, I'd instrumentality it with some hands. The boxing satellite needs it."

We person been present before. The 2 biggest names successful British boxing person doubly been adjacent to agreeing a blockbuster fight, lone autumn for it to autumn through.

It was each but agreed successful August 2020, acceptable to instrumentality spot successful Saudi Arabia, earlier the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Fury to look Deontay Wilder successful a trilogy fight.

Then, towards the extremity of past year, a deadline imposed by Fury was not met by challenger Joshua. Fury alternatively faced Derek Chisora successful December.

Boxing's credibility wanes erstwhile large fights don't hap - arsenic it did erstwhile Fury and Oleksandr Usyk precocious failed to hold presumption for a historical undisputed clash - the archetypal successful a four-belt era. Fury, 34, and Joshua person an accidental to wage the fans backmost - and, it indispensable beryllium said, gain a immense magnitude of money.

For the combat to happen, rival promoters and broadcasters would request to enactment unneurotic - and Fury and Joshua would request to marque immoderate compromises - but Hearn believes it could beryllium adjacent successful line.

"That combat is each astir timing," helium said. "How agelong bash you wait? If it's there, it would beryllium hard not to take."

Joshua's lone different accidental to situation to a satellite rubric would beryllium against unified champion Usyk, but having been outclassed successful consecutive losses to the Ukrainian, determination is small appetite for a trilogy.

Joshua-Wilder is monolithic - Hearn

Deontay Wilder walks distant aft knocking retired Robert Helenius

If you privation guaranteed entertainment, and the champion accidental of a knockout, Joshua v Wilder is the 1 to look retired for.

The combat could person happened successful 2019, erstwhile they held each 4 titles betwixt them and were looking invincible, but - erstwhile again - boxing politics, egos and a quality implicit finances got successful the way.

Without belts to support oregon mandatory challengers to oblige - and some boxers nary longer having undefeated records to support - it whitethorn present beryllium easier to negociate a deal.

American Wilder is 1 of the astir devastating punchers successful history. The 37-year-old would travel to fight, which is possibly what Joshua needs successful an opponent.

"It's a monolithic fight," Hearn said. "Franklin was Joshua's archetypal combat nether a caller trainer. The much fights helium has nether this trainer, the amended helium volition beryllium - but the nationalist isn't that patient."

With Usyk and Fury wide considered the world's 2 champion heavyweights, Joshua and Wilder could conflict it retired for 'bronze', with the victor offered a changeable astatine recapturing a satellite title.

Nobody wants to combat Joyce - Frampton

Joe Joyce celebrates aft beating Joseph Parker

Briton Joe Joyce is the fig 1 challenger for Usyk's WBO belt, and a superior contender successful the heavyweight division.

Joyce, 37, faces China's Zhilei Zhang successful London connected 15 April and has said helium would beryllium consenting to look Joshua if helium wins.

The 2 cognize each different good from their clip unneurotic successful the Team GB set-up, and Hearn said his combatant would invited the match-up.

"Joyce is simply a bully fight," Hearn said. "It's not arsenic large oregon rather arsenic pugnacious arsenic Fury oregon Wilder, but inactive a pugnacious fight.

"They've sparred thousands of rounds unneurotic and AJ is precise assured he'd win."

Joyce has a granite chin and tin bulldoze his mode done opponents. After a stellar amateur vocation - successful which helium won metallic astatine the 2016 Olympics - the antheral known arsenic 'Juggernaut' has won British, Commonwealth and European titles.

He has won each 15 fights, with 14 knockouts, beating the likes of erstwhile satellite champion Joseph Parker, WBA 'Regular' champion Daniel Dubois and world-title challenger Carlos Takam.

Two-weight satellite champion Carl Frampton said Joyce was "the feline cipher truly wants to fight".

He added: "He's a horrible night's enactment for anybody. He gives each the guys, everybody astatine the apical of the tree, problems. Including Fury, Usyk and AJ."

Unfinished concern with Whyte?

These 2 person history.

The rivalry betwixt Joshua and Whyte, 34, dates backmost to their amateur days, erstwhile the 'Bodysnatcher' bushed Joshua successful 2009.

The atrocious humor continued into their nonrecreational careers, and Joshua stopped his aged foe with a seventh-round stoppage successful a terrific contest.

"I privation a accidental to redeem myself," Whyte said connected Saturday. "He keeps playing the video of him knocking maine retired years and years ago. I privation revenge."

He besides publicly questioned Joshua's desire.

Whyte is simply a throwback fighter. A brawler. He besides bushed Franklin connected points successful November, albeit not arsenic convincingly.

Outside of the ring, the 2 Britons are strikingly antithetic characters. Joshua's measured, often philosophical, responses successful interviews are successful stark opposition to Whyte's no-nonsense approach.

Joshua-Whyte II could beryllium marketed for a stadium fight, though Hearn has not ruled a instrumentality to the O2 Arena.

"Do you spell for a stadium oregon enactment successful the O2 Arena," helium said. "When you get summons prices close successful the O2, we've seen with the UFC recently, sometimes it's much economical to bash it there."

Another rebuilding job?

All of that said, an elite-level heavyweight whitethorn not beryllium the astir due hostile for Joshua astatine this stage.

It whitethorn beryllium helium needs idiosyncratic astatine a akin level to Franklin, and not needfully 1 who would appease the paying public.

When Joshua was putting distant opponents wrong the distance, fans were guaranteed entertainment. But with his latest show - and a conscious effort to not beryllium reckless - his popularity and the quality to merchantability retired arenas against fringe-level contenders whitethorn person waned.

"It's hard to person those fights and thrust the aforesaid interest," Hearn said. "What mightiness beryllium large for the improvement of your vocation mightiness not beryllium for the commercialized numbers. You person to get the equilibrium right."

Whichever way Joshua decides to spell down, helium has options. Few fighters would garbage a large payday against the two-time satellite champion, and galore volition fancy their chances.

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