Anthony Joshua Next Fight: vs Dillian Whyte, August 12, 2023
Anthony Joshua is one of the biggest heavyweight boxing stars of this generation having held WBO, WBA and IBF Heavyweight titles for more than 4 years. He is one of the boxers who has consistently drawn big PPV numbers.
However, his career is now at crossroads after two back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. He started his journey back with the aim to become the heavyweight champion once again and defeated Jermaine Franklin in his first fight in 2023. But, he needs wins over bigger names now. So, who does Anthony Joshua fight next in the next step of his career?
Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight
Initially, Anthony Joshua’s next fight is announced to be against Dillian Whyte in the summer of 2023. Earlier this year, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn laid out a 3-year plan for him in 2023 which would see him get a top 15 ranked boxer in early 2023. Joshua defeated Jermaine Franklin in his first fight of 2023 under this plan.
Hearn revealed that the second bout in 2023 would likely be against Dillian Whyte. However, the names like Otto Wallin and Joy Joyce were also considered as the next opponent for Joshua at one point. As per Hearn’s statement, after Franklin fight, the feeling among Joshua’s team was that he needs another fight before he is ready for the likes of Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder.
The fight was officially confirmed by Hearn on June 2 in an interview to Boxing Social that Dillian Whyte is indeed the next opponent for Anthony Joshua. This bout will be a rematch from December 2015 where Joshua won British, WBC Intercontinental, and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.
There are also discussions about Joshua taking on Deontay Wilder in December on a heavyweight superfight card in Saudi Arabia. Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk is expected to headline that event while Anthony Joshua vs Deontay Wilder is expected to be the co-main event. So, a tune-up fight against Whyte can be considered a good preparation to later face Wilder. Wilder is exactly in same position as Joshua, as he has also lost back-to-back world title fights against Fury before beating Robert Helenius in his comeback fight.
Date for Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight
🥊 O2 BOOKED FOR AJ/WHYTE!@EddieHearn has CONFIRMED that the O2 Arena is BOOKED for @anthonyjoshua on August 12!💥@DillianWhyte is the PREFERRED opponent but the ‘deal still needs to be closed’… There are OTHER possible opponents‼️
— International Boxing News (@IntBoxingNews) June 2, 2023
(@CharIieParsons x @boxing_social) pic.twitter.com/JFpkLGsLt3
Anthony Joshua’s next fight is announced to take place on August 12, 2023, at the O2 Arena in London, UK. The O2 Arena is the venue for now but Matchroom Boxing is also looking for stadiums to hold this fight. This would be another tune-up fight before Joshua can get ready to face Deontay Wilder in December 2023.
Anthony Joshua Current Record
Anthony Joshua’s current professional boxing record remains at 25 wins and 3 losses. Joshua became the IBF World Heavyweight Champion by beating Charles Martin in 2016. He later added the WBA title to his crown by beating Wladimir Klitschko and later defeated Joseph Parker to add the WBO title to hold 3 heavyweight belts. Other high-profile wins for Joshua include the likes of Kubrat Pulev, Alexander Povetkin, and Carlos Takam among others.
Joshua suffered his first pro-career loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June 2019, but he won the unified titles back from Ruiz the same year in December. Since then, Joshua has suffered back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk first defeated Joshua in September 2021 to win the unified heavyweight titles and later defeated Joshua once again in August 2022 to retain those titles.
