Anthony Joshua is targeting September for his next fight at Wembley against a still-to-be-determined opponent. The date will be either September 20th or 21st.
Joshua to face the most impressive winner
AJ reveals that his fight will be against the most impressive winner of these two fights on June 1st in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
– Deontay Wilder vs. Zhilei Zhang
– Filip Hrgovic vs. Daniel Dubois
“The one who looks the best, Turki Alalshikh said to me, ‘I want you to fight him,” the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) said to talkSPORT Boxing.
Hrgovic: The Likely Choice
There’s a good chance that Hrgovic will emerge as Joshua’s selection from these two fights. Hrgovic is fighting on a higher level than any of the other three heavyweights, and he’s got the pedigree to be selected for Joshua.
The only problem with the 31-year-old Hrgovic (17-0, 14 KOs) getting picked is whether he can keep it clean and not resort to using rabbit punches to slay the 26-year-old hard-hitting Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs).
If Hrgovic’s win over Dubois is aided by punches to the back of the head, as we saw in his recent victories over Mark de Mori and Demsey McKean, it could taint his win, resulting in Joshua opting to choose the Wilder vs. Zhang winner.
Can Wilder Step Up?
Boxing fans would prefer that Joshua fight the former WBC heavyweight champion ‘Bronz Bomber’ Wilder if he successfully defeats the two-time Chinese Olympian Zhang on June 1st, but it doesn’t look promising for the Alabama native to win that fight.
The 38-year-old Wilder looked washed in his lackluster, one-sided 12-round unanimous decision loss to Joseph Parker on December 23rd last year. He failed to let his hands go and appeared gunshy.
Wilder spent most of the fight circling the ring, afraid to throw his powerful right hand, and looking confused at the simple defensive tactics that Parker was using.
If Wilder can find the courage that he once possessed, he has a good chance of defeating the 40-year-old Zhang based on the Chinese fighter’s recent form in his loss to Parker.
Zhang looked tired after the first five rounds and had nothing left to knock out Parker after having him down twice in the first eight rounds.