Following his recent stoppage win against Otto Wallin, Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn indicated that AJ will likely fight again in March, and he listed three possible opponents: Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannou, and Big Bang Zhang.
Whichever opponent is ultimately chosen, this is a very good sign for Joshua. It means he’s going to remain active, as he promised and has done since suffering back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
The expectation was that Day of Reckoning would finally lead to a long awaited megabout showdown between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder, but those best laid plans were ultimately derailed when Wilder lost a one-sided decision against Joseph Parker. With the Wilder fight now out for AJ’s March return, the three names mentioned by Hearn all represent interesting potential foes for the former two-time heavyweight champion.
Filip Hrgovic is the IBF #1 heavyweight mandatory contender, and the IBF is theoretically up next in the rotation. That means Hrgovic should get a title shot sooner than later. The expectation here is that after Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk have their first fight in February, that the IBF will immediately strip the winner, and that Hrgovic will face someone for the vacant IBF strap. So theoretically, a March showdown between Joshua and Hrgovic could be for the vacant IBF belt.
Francis Ngannou has had only one professional boxing match, and that happened last year when he put up a strong effort against Tyson Fury. Indeed Ngannou even managed to score a knock down against Fury, and there were some observers who believe Ngannou did enough to deserve the win against Fury.
And finally we have Big Bang Zhang, a 40 year old Chinese powerhouse who had a career breakthrough last year following back-to-back victories against the then highly regarded Joe Joyce. Zhang is a highly respected talent despite his advanced age, and these two have a history from their amateur days in the Olympics which adds an added layer of potential interest.
So who will Anthony Joshua face next? Will it be Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannou, or Zhilei Zhang?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will provide opinions and a quick breakdown of which choice might be best for Joshua between the three mentioned possible opponents – Filip Hrgovic, Francis Ngannout, and Zhilei Zhang. Please watch and enjoy the video for one man’s opinion. This is Rummy’s Corner (produced and narrated by Geoffrey Ciani).