As fans know, former two-time heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua is set to headline a huge bill at Wembley in September. The card is the latest blockbuster from Turki Alalshikh. But who will Joshua’s dance partner be?
While most people felt, and maybe still feel, that Daniel Dubois is the leading candidate, nothing has been announced yet. Also, the IBF, who got in touch with Sky Sports, said there has been no request to sanction a Joshua-Dubois fight for their belt.
Joshua may still face Dubois, who recently won the IBF interim belt with his upset stoppage win over Filip Hrgovic, but AJ has other options. Joshua himself put out a short message on social media stating how he has almost completed negotiations regarding his next fight:
“Nearly finished my negotiations for my next fight. Feeling motivated,” AJ wrote.
The other two big names listed as possibilities are Zhilei Zhang and Joseph Parker. However, as per a Sky Sports article, Zhang’s team says nobody from Joshua’s team has approached or contacted them about the fight. This perhaps leaves former WBO heavyweight champ and former points loser Joshua Parker as the frontrunner to fight the British star.
Parker says he is the most deserving guy for landing the September date with AJ.
“There’s a lot of people who want to fight Anthony Joshua. I feel like with what I’ve done, I can be in a position to fight him,” Parker said. “Honestly, it’s not really about what I want and what he wants. It’s what everyone else wants, and a lot of fights are happening in Saudi Arabia. You never know how things are going to unfold. So we’ll see. But you’ve got Anthony Joshua……I let whatever happens happen, and whatever fights they lock, they lock in, and I’m ready for whoever.”
Parker may be right. It may all depend on who Alalshikh wants Joshua to fight and who he’d like to see AJ fight. Joshua’s next fight is not happening in Saudi Arabia, but Alalshikh is bankrolling it. As such, he will have a big say in who Joshua gets it on with.
Does Alalshikh prefer Joshua-Dubois, Joshua-Zhang, or Joshua-Parker? Or might there be an unexpected fight, an unexpected opponent for Joshua announced soon?
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