Anthony Joshua impressed everyone with a 2nd round KO win against Charles Martin on Saturday night, who was tipped by many to pose a serious threat to the British Champ. After the match Martin confessed that he was unable to cope with AJ’s speed and power.
Now pumped up Joshua is looking towards a showdown with fellow countryman and champion Tyson Fury in a fight believed to be worth £40million.
Joshua said after winning his IBF title: “It’s bound to happen. We can’t go through this whole era dodging each other that would be silly, I’m going to walk through Fury when he’s ready. I mean business and I’m here to stay.”
However, Fury is preparing for a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on July 9, therefore his matchup with AJ is not possible for the time being. AJ will have to find another suitable opponent.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn also talked about this potential matchup and said: “We are looking at a £40milion fight, what with two million pay-per-view buys, the Wembley gate, the overseas TV rights and so on.”
Fury, who has been very outspoken about Joshua in recent past, tipped Martin to win before the fight, said: “If I had to put my money on it, I’d say Charles Martin stops Joshua as he’s a 6ft 5in punching southpaw with combinations, who’s not afraid of people just because they’ve got muscles.”
After Joshua’s thunderous KO win he tweeted: “So AJ gets a belt, looked slow ponderous, & still looked like a bodybuilder, let me slay the lamb.” Also claimed to have bet £1000 on Martin to win via KO, won’t be making the same mistake and bet more money against Joshua.
Other than Fury there are many options available for AJ to look at. All considered potential mouthwatering clashes and sell out. Names that have been mentioned so far include Barmane Stiverne, Luis Ortiz, Bryant Jennings, David Haye and Deontay Wilder. Although Wilder is not available right now because he is expected to defend his title against Alexander Povetkin on May 21.
Bermane Stiverne
Haitian-Canadian professional boxer, nicknamed “B. Ware”, (25 – 2, 21 KO’s) is a former WBC Heavyweight champion. The 37-old-boxer won this title against Chris Arreola, after Vitali Klitschko retired and vacated his title.
Stiverne’s two career losses have come against Demetrice King in 2007 and more recently against Deontay Wilder to whom he lost his WBC title. This fight lasted 12 rounds against a dangerous opponent who is considered a ‘Knockout King’. Jennings will be a good test for AJ’s for his title unification dream fights against Wilder and Tyson Fury that are sure to happen in future.
Luis Ortiz
The 37-year-old (25 – 0, 22 KO’s) is a Cuban pugilist who is a two-time and current WBA interim heavyweight champion. The 6 ft 4 in boxer got stripped of his belt for testing positive for anabolic steroids.
Nicknamed “The Real King Kong” due to his humongous built, won a silver medal at the 2005 Boxing World Cup as an amateur. Famous for his incredible punching power and counterpunching skills, Ortiz destroyed Tony Thompson in 6 rounds on March 05 to retain his undefeated status. Someone like him could challenge Anthony Joshua for his IBF title and a good matchup for his skills.
Bryant Jennings
Jennings (19 – 2, 10 KO’s), is an American pugilist and world heavyweight title challenger. His only two career defeats came after a 19 fight winning streak against the two big heavyweights, Wladimir Klitschko and Luis Ortiz. Jennings gave a stern test to Klitschko lasting 12 rounds and now he is being named as one of the potential opponent for AJ’s title defence.
David Haye
‘The Hayemaker’ (27 – 2, 25 KO’s), is another name that keeps coming up as a possible opponent for Anthony Joshua. The fact that both boxers have publically stated that they want to fight each other, further fuel the chances of the fight happening in the near future. The 35-year-old will pose a real threat for Joshua, as he has got all the qualities to dethrone the newly crowned IBF Champion. A former world champion in two weight classes, Haye recently came out from retirement after overcoming his long term injury problems. The former WBA champion destroyed the Australian, Mark de Mori in the 1st round on January 16 in his comeback fight, and with his performance showed everything why he is still in the top tier of world heavyweight boxing.
Deontay Wilder
‘The Bronze Bomber’ (36 – 0, 35 KO’s) is the current WBC heavyweight champion, and considered one of the most feared names in the world due to his incredible record. His knockout ratio is only second to Joshua’s but much more experienced than the British. However, the ‘KO King’ is set to defend his title against Alexander Povetkin on May 21, so that leaves him out as a possible next opponent for Joshua but both these exciting boxers are certain to meet in the future.
Tyson Fury
Fury and AJ rivalry goes a long way and both these fighters absolutely hate each other. The Gypsy King (25 – 0, 18 KO’s) will be defending his titles against Wladimir Klitschko in a rematch scheduled for May 9, which leaves his out as a possible opponent for Joshua immediately, but it is quite possible both will face each other before the end of 2016. This fight will not only unify the titles (WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO) but also determine the bragging rights.
After becoming the world champion, AJ has wronged all his doubters. His incredible speed, power and accuracy will torment every opponent. For some AJ’s reign has just begun and he’ll not stop until he unifies all the heavyweight titles in the world.
Fight Highlights:
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