Anthony Joshua Will Only Fight Twice a Year Going Forward

IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is only going to fight one more time in 2017, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport.

Joshua, who unified the heavyweight titles on Saturday night after defeating Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley, would likely see action between September and November.

After having Klitschko down in the fifth, Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) had to get off the floor in the sixth round to score two more knockdowns of his own and stop Klitschko in the eleventh.

Joshua is hoping to get the biggest fight possible after drawing 90,000 fans to the clash with Klitschko.

"I think that we can definitely find someone to dance with again, to bring that sort of attention again. Anyone with a belt is good, to add more to the [collection]. We could rematch Klitschko again. I think that would be good because of the type of fight we had. And I think even guys without a belt would be good. Tyson Fury obviously hasn't got a belt,," Joshua told The Guardian.

Because of the long training camps and the magnitude of the events, Joshua will only see action twice a year. In 2016 he fought three times, knocking out Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale and Eric Molina.

"It is so big for the sport and massive for him," Hearn said, speaking exclusively to Jim White on talkSPORT.

"I think he becomes the biggest sports star in Britain now. It is only the beginning. He wants another eight to ten years in the sport and it almost feels like he has had that legacy-defining fight on Saturday, but there is such a long way to go.

"We are only going to box twice a year now because the fights are so huge and the camps are so long. It is the world heavyweight championship. It is not the British heavyweight championship. We have got a chance here to keep these events huge in Britain, which we want to do, but we also want to break new boundaries.

"We want to go into new markets and dominate those markets with him. That includes America, the Far East, the Middle East and Africa as well. You will see him box in those territories over time."