- Anthony Joshua was comprehensively beaten by Daniel Dubois on Saturday
- He has vowed to keep fighting after shutting down retirement talk
- Eddie Hearn has named three opponents that Joshua could target next
Anthony Joshua’s promoter has named three potential opponents that the British heavyweight could take on next as he bids to bounce back from his humbling defeat by Daniel Dubois.
Joshua faced his fellow Brit Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night for the IBF heavyweight title and was knocked out in the fifth round in front of 96,000 fans.
The two-time heavyweight champion was adamant that he would not be retiring in the aftermath of the loss, and his promoter Eddie Hearn has already started drawing up a shortlist of opponents for his return to the ring.
Speaking to iFLTV, Hearn revealed that Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and a rematch with Dubois are all under consideration.
Hearn initially stated Joshua had a rematch clause to face Dubois again while being interviewed in the ring on Saturday night.
Anthony Joshua was stopped inside five rounds by Daniel Dubois on Saturday night
His promoter Eddie Hearn (right) has already drawn up a shortlist of opponents for his next fight
An immediate rematch with Dubois is one option that Hearn is considering
However, he has since confirmed that there is no release clause, and that Joshua instead has one fight remaining on his contract as part of ‘Riyadh Season’, which could be against Dubois.
But given the one-sided nature of Saturday’s defeat, Joshua could look to take a different path back to the top and may chase a fight with Fury instead.
Fury is due to have his own rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in December after losing their first fight earlier this year.
Should he win, the Gypsy King could potentially take a voluntary defence against Joshua to finally settle the score with his domestic rival.
Alternatively, another loss to Usyk could leave Fury and Joshua both out of the title picture and free to fight each other in a bid to get back into the mix.
Wilder is another fighter that has long been linked with facing Joshua, having held the WBC title between 2015 and 2020.
A domestic grudge match with Tyson Fury is another possibility for Joshua
Hearn believes Joshua could finally face Deontay Wilder, despite the American losing his last two fights
Joshua and Wilder’s teams never managed to agree terms for an undisputed showdown before Fury relieved Wilder of his belt.
Wilder has lost his last two bouts against Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang, and turns 39 next month, but is considering a return to the ring and a fight with Joshua could appeal.
If the fight happens, the winner could set their sights on one final crack at becoming a champion again, while the loser would likely sail off into the sunset.
