Anthony Joshua has lost his spark, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte are still searching for opponents, Joe Joyce has been beaten… What’s next for Britain’s once-glittering heavyweights?

Wind the clock back two years and Britain’s heavyweight division was booming.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury held all four major world titles between them, Dillian Whyte had moved into mandatory position for the Gypsy King’s WBC belt and Joe Joyce was breaking onto the world stage.

There were even talks of Joshua and Fury fighting each other to finally crown an undisputed champion in boxing’s blue-riband division for the first time in two decades.

Alas, we are still waiting for that fight to be made. And plenty has changed since those days when Britain dominated the heavyweight scene.

Joshua has been beaten twice by Oleksandr Usyk, Whyte blew his shot against Fury, and now Joyce has tasted defeat for the first time as a professional after being stopped inside six rounds by China’s Zhilei Zhang on Saturday.

Joe Joyce became the latest top British heavyweight to suffer a setback after losing to Zhilei Zhang last weekend

Fury, to his credit, remains unbeaten, but his last fight against Derek Chisora in December was a mismatch and he hasn’t fought since, after failing to agree an undisputed fight with Usyk earlier this year.

The first part of 2023 has not gone to plan for Britain’s heavyweights, but can they turn it around? Sportsmail takes a look at what could lie in store for them over the coming months.

Tyson Fury

Fury delivered a one-sided beatdown of Chisora at the end of 2022 in a fight no one was particularly keen on watching in the first place.

Tyson Fury is still unbeaten but his last fight against Derek Chisora was a mismatch

Yet many viewed it simply as a keep-busy bout, and when Fury went face-to-face with Usyk afterwards there was genuine optimism that the two premier heavyweights in the world would face each other in early 2023.

That showdown has been put on hold, though, after Usyk’s team pulled out of negotiations having grown frustrated with Fury’s demands.

This has left Fury looking for an alternative opponent, and he seems to have a couple of options on the table for a summer fight.

One is Andy Ruiz Jr, who the Gypsy King’s promoter Bob Arum has mentioned as a potential foe.

Ruiz Jr is best remembered for stunning Anthony Joshua in June 2019 at Madison Square Garden before losing the rematch six months later. Since then he has fought only twice, winning on both occasions.

A fight with Joyce’s conqueror, Zhang, could be next for the Gypsy King later this year

Then you have Joe Joyce’s conqueror Zhilei Zhang. The 39-year-old looked very impressive in taking out his British rival and called for a fight with Fury next.

Zhang has a huge following back in China, and a big-money fight at the Bird’s Next Stadium in Beijing could appeal to Fury. Zhang has also shown he’s not afraid to travel, making a clash in the UK, potentially at Wembley Stadium, a possibility.

Looking later into the year, there is the exciting prospect of Fury finally taking on Usyk, with Anthony Joshua meeting Deontay Wilder on the same night. Eddie Hearn has revealed talks have been held over staging a potentially epic night of boxing in the Middle East in December.

Anthony Joshua

Joshua returned to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin at the start of the month but it was hardly the dominant display fans were hoping for.

The 33-year-old adopted a safety-first approach on his way to a unanimous decision victory, but insisted he wanted to remain active this year to gel with new trainer Derrick James.

He has since had a change of heart, announcing on social media that he will not be back in the ring again until December, but long-term rival Whyte is not convinced Joshua is telling the truth.

Should AJ keep his word and return at the end of the year, it appears likely that he will go straight into a mouthwatering fight with Deontay Wilder after Eddie Hearn’s bombshell about a potential double-header that would involve Fury and Usyk going head to head on the same card.

Anthony Joshua failed to impress in his last outing against America’s Jermaine Franklin

But Hearn has also admitted he would like to see Joshua have one more fight before testing himself against the division’s elite. This could mean a rematch with Whyte after they first fought each other as professionals in 2015.

The Olympic gold medallist came out on top back then, delivering a spiteful performance to stop Whyte in the seventh round. Perhaps stepping back in the ring with his arch-nemesis could get the juices flowing once more after he appeared to have lost his spark in that forgettable Franklin win.

Dillian Whyte

Whyte finally got his title shot against Fury in April of last year, but failed to make the most of it.

After bizarrely starting the fight in a southpaw stance, the Body Snatcher struggled to get into the contest and was stopped by a vicious uppercut in the sixth round.

He returned with a razor-thin points win over Franklin in November, but has so far failed to line up another fight since.

Whyte was at ringside for Joyce’s defeat by Zhang on Saturday and was calling for a fight with his domestic rival.

Dillian Whyte was unable to beat the count after being sent to the canvas by Tyson Fury

Whyte beat Franklin last time out but is still yet to announce his next opponent since

Joyce subsequently lost, but that match-up could still make sense. It would be a crossroads fight for both men, with the winner moving back into the title picture while the loser likely edges towards retirement.

He could also challenge Zhang. The giant Chinese southpaw has burst onto the scene pretty much overnight despite being just weeks away from his 40th birthday, and Whyte may fancy showing Joyce how it’s done.

Then there’s the Joshua rematch. Whyte has plenty of options, but he needs to pick one quickly to get his career moving again.

Joe Joyce

A win over Zhang would have left Joyce in prime position for a title tilt, but he is now back to square one.

While he is known for his toughness and showed plenty of it on Saturday night, the Juggernaut was completely outboxed and looked very one-dimensional.

At 37, he does not have time to rebuild and must go straight back into a big fight. He does have a rematch clause with Zhang and may feel he could do better the second time around.

Joyce does not have time on his side when it comes to rebuilding after his loss to Zhang

Yet Zhang’s style gave him nightmares as he could not miss with the left hand, and Joyce may be better advised to steer clear of going back in for another try.

An all-British showdown with Whyte would still be a very watchable fight, and the winner would put themselves in the mix for more big fights down the line.

Joyce made no excuses after his defeat and it is not hard to figure out where he went wrong. Now it’s just about whether he is capable of making the necessary adjustments to hang with the best the division has to offer.

Daniel Dubois

Dubois is the exception when it comes to Britain’s top heavyweights as his career has moved forward over the past two years.

Back then, he was reeling after his first career loss to Joyce, but he has since turned things around with four straight wins by knockout.

There are still some concerns about his lack of head movement that proved a major issue in the defeat against Joyce, and he was sent to the canvas three times in his last fight with Kevin Lerena in December.

Daniel Dubois has bounced back from losing to Joyce, but will be a heavy underdog if he gets to fight Usyk

Dubois suffered a serious knee injury in that fight but still fought on and forced a third-round stoppage.

He is now in mandatory position for a shot at Usyk, and that encounter has been teased for late summer in the UK.

Dubois has improved since losing to Joyce, but would still enter the ring as an underdog against Usyk if that bout gets made.

Yet it’s a huge opportunity for Dubois and one that can’t really go wrong for him. If he wins, he becomes one of the best heavyweights on the planet. A loss would be a setback, but would show him exactly how far below the elite he really is, and at 25 he still has time on his side to work his way back into title contention.