This is a three-man shortlist for Anthony Joshua to face in his Riyadh Season fight in London.
British heavyweight and former champion Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is in the driver’s seat to choose his next opponent as he is the winner of four-straight high-profile fights, including his latest, which was an incredible performance over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou. Joshua has done great business with the Saudi advisor Turki Alalshikh and their relationship has only grown stronger since 2019.
The Saudi Arabian combat sports pioneer is once again teaming up with Eddie Hearn, promoter of Joshua, to break ground in a new territory for a Riyadh Season event. The card will be in the United Kingdom and is scheduled to take place on September 21 inside the famous Wembley Stadium with Anthony Joshua as the headliner, but who will oppose “AJ”? Read below to see three very likely opponents for the talented Brit as explained by Hearn in a recent interview with IFL TV.
Anthony Joshua vs Zhilei Zhang
This fight has all the makings of big boy violence
Joshua versus Zhilei Zhang (27-2, 22 KOs) would be massive as the Chinese heavyweight has quickly rebounded from his December loss against Joseph Parker by brutally knocking out former WBC champion Deontay Wilder in very convincing fashion. The win has raised Zhang’s stock quite a lot.
While Zhang, 41, is considered to be over the hill in the combat sports sphere, his name has never been hotter after headlining the first Queensberry boxing vs Matchroom boxing event. It’s a great fight for Joshua and company to test themselves against a dangerous puncher and build off the established momentum since losing to current undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk back in 2021.
Of course, heading into this massive fight in Joshua’s backyard, the Vegas odds favor the large-physique Brit. Finally, it’s a great fight because it gives Joshua time to continue his trek towards undisputed status once again while Tyson Fury and Usyk sort out the rematch.
Anthony Joshua vs Joseph Parker 2
This rematch will be an evolved chess match from their first meeting
This rematch – whenever it does happen – may only be part two of a great trilogy as WBO interim champion Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) and Joshua are still in their primes in a division that is a short period away from a changing of the guard. Since Parker and Joshua first squared off in 2018, both men have improved while taking vastly different paths. We all know what Joshua has done as he is under a very hot spotlight with every move he makes, but for Parker, he has quietly put together an 11-2 record since he last faced “AJ”.
This fight is inevitable as Parker seems to be getting more and more comfortable with each passing fight and Joshua has never been more dialed in. While this rematch may not happen because of the Parker threat versus others on this list, it is a massive fight between two elite heavyweight boxers and will just be a matter of time before it’s booked. It will only be a matter of time before
Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois
The battle for Britain in Wembley would be an enormous event
The likelihood of IBF interim heavyweight champion, Daniel Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs), getting the call and the golden ticket to fight against Anthony Joshua is extremely likely, as Dubois is not only a fellow native of the United Kingdom, but he also shares a loss from a familiar foe, as Joshua in the name of Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk. Since his loss to the current undisputed heavyweight champion, Dubois has rattled off back to back wins, both by way of knockout.
Seeing how his Excellency is booking fight cards, he is no dummy when it comes to putting on a grand show. With large purses and a chance at worldly glory, fights under Alashikh have not disappointed and a fight between Joshua and Dubois in their home territory is guaranteed to bring out the best out of these elite heavyweights.
