By Edward Chaykovsky
Matchroom chairman Barry Hearn has an opponent in mind for the next world title defense by IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Joshua (17-0, 17KOs) will make the second defense of his world title on November 19th. Last month he made the first defense of the belt with a seven round TKO of previously undefeated Dominic Breazeale. The hard puncher capture the title in April with a two round blowout of Charles Martin.
The mandatory challenger is Joseph Parker, who fights later this month and then again in September. Hearn wants Joshua to have one more fight before moving to the mandatory defense with Parker in early 2017.
Hearn wants Joshua to make a voluntary defence against former WBC champion Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21KOs), who still stands as the only fighter to go the full distance with current WBC king Deontay Wilder (36-0, 35KOs).
Hearn told Sky Sports: "Parker may well be next but I suspect, probably, Joshua will have another defence prior. There's a whole range of names out there - whether you're talking Stiverne, Eric Molina. Stiverne is probably my number one choice because of his credibility."
Another fighter on Hearn's mind is Hughie Fury (20-0, 10KOs), who is the 21-year-old cousin of IBO/WBO and WBA champion Tyson Fury.
He said: "I'd like to see Hughie Fury step up and have a go! They're two undefeated fighters and it's a fight that would sell to the British public. There's a lot of choice - it's a lot easier when you're the champion than the challenger."
