Anthony Joshua's next move

[NihonJim]

His value dropped from the two very close decision losses to Usyk and there is no demand to see him against anyone but Fury or Wilder. He is still the no. 2 heavyweight out there and still being ducked by Fury. The AJ novelty has worn off and his era is about over.

How can he possibly be the number 2 heavyweight?

[Bennyleonard99]

How can he possibly be the number 2 heavyweight?

Because he lost to narrow decisions to the no. 1. And both of those decision were so close they could have given both to AJ. (We've seen worse robberies) Fury is DQed from being no. 2 for ducking AJ for a half decade. Wilder is not even top ten.

[LG Motel 22]

Stay in Nigeria and bring the next crop up, him and fury don’t need to fight again. Made a boatload, had some good wins. Joshua beating a Whyte or Chișora wouldn’t prove anything.

[NihonJim]

Because he lost to narrow decisions to the no. 1. And both of those decision were so close they could have given both to AJ. (We've seen worse robberies) Fury is DQed from being no. 2 for ducking AJ for a half decade. Wilder is not even top ten.

He just got demolished by Dubois?

[Bennyleonard99]

He just got demolished by Dubois?

Forgot that one )

[Willow The Wisp]

He just got demolished by Dubois?

Suffice to say that his comment was off the cuff and not fully thought out.


World Boxing Rankings - June 2025
HEAVYWEIGHT

World Champion -
Oleksandr Usyk, Ukraine 23-0-0 (14)

1. Tyson Fury, England 34-2-1 (24)*
2. Daniel Dubois, England 22-2-0 (21)
3. Joseph Parker, New Zealand 36-3-0 (24)
4. Agit Kabayel, Turkey 26-0-0 (18)
5. Zhilei Zhang, China 27-3-1 (22)
6. Andy Ruiz Jr., USA 35-2-1 (22)
7. Jarrell Miller, USA 26-1-2 (22)
8. Moses Itauma, England 12-0-0 (10)
9. Anthony Joshua, England 28-4-0 (24)
10. Fabio Wardley, England 18-0-1 (17)
11. Derrick Chisora, England 36-13-0(23)
12. Efe Ajagba, Nigeria 20-1-1 (14)
13. Filip Hrgovic, Croatia 18-1-0 (14)
14. Martin Bakole, Congo 21-2-1 (16)
15. Dillian Whyte, England 31-3-0 (21)
16. Deontay Wilder, USA 43-4-1 (42)
17. Joe Joyce, England 16-4-0 (15)
18. Luis Ortiz, Cuba 34-3-0 (29)
19. Richard Torrez, USA 13-0-0 (11)
20. Justis Huni, Australia 12-0-0 (7)
21. Michael Hunter, USA 24-1-2 (17)
22. Guido Vianello, Italy 13-3-1 (11)
23. Kubrat Pulev, Bulgaria 32-3-0 (14)
24. Tony Yoka, France 14-3-0 (11)
25. Lawrence Okolie, England 21-1-0(16)
26. Frank Sanchez, Cuba 25-1-0 (17)
27. Jared Anderson, USA 18-1-0 (15)
28. Bakhodir Jalolov, Uzbek 14-0-0 (14)
29. Murat Gassiev, Armenia 31-2-0 (24)
30. Otto Wallin, Sweden 27-3-0 (15)

(05/31/25)
*Fury retirement not yet acknowledged.

[JakeTheBoxer]

He will be begging Fury for the fight until he dies.

[Willow The Wisp]

Because he lost to narrow decisions to the no. 1. And both of those decision were so close they could have given both to AJ. (We've seen worse robberies) Fury is DQed from being no. 2 for ducking AJ for a half decade. Wilder is not even top ten.

Did Tyson Fury, who aced an active, championship holding Klitschko and made him look like an amateur while doing so, ripping his title from his hands, and Three Times fought the most dangerous heavyweight since the days of Foreman and Shavers and fought like the Allied invasion of Normandy; have ANY REASON to "Duck" a highly lucrative fight with a fighter who fought like the evacuation of Dunkirk, once cracked on the head????

[Boxing 112]

All very murky out there, Hearn hiding the truth.

The Fury fight might be signed for the second semester.

Charr makes no sense, Wilder might become viable after june

AJ claimed he won't be back till December. Eddie claiming September. I think the injury was an excuse to duck the Dubois rematch initially as they first claimed it towards end of last year There either isn't an injury or it's a very minor one. The plan is wait for Usyk Dubois winner. Going to be hard for 1 boxer to keep hold of the belts so they're then hoping 1 or 2 of the belts become vacant and that AJ can fight for a vacant one. That was their plan last year heading the IBF route thinking they could win Hrgovic for the IBF but Dubois ruined their plan.

[MoneyKing]

As a fight fan, published writer and called upon historian who grew up in combat sports; I'm always amazed that there are fans out there with the temerity to call any ranked boxer a "bum".
Nobody who does that would do it to a ranked fighter's face. That's for sure.

And why is Joshua a "bum"?
Maybe a few fighters short of being the best of his era, for sure; but look at him like this:

Francis Ngannou is one of the best heavyweights that MMA has ever produced. Within that very popular, open rules combat sport's short history; Fedor Emelianenko, Mirko Filipovic, Cain Velasquez and Stipe Miocic are the only fighters that can be mentioned in the same breath with Ngannou. Josh Barnett, Frank Mir, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, John Jones, Fabricio Werdum, Randy Couture, Junior Dos Santos, Tim Sylvia, Alistair Overeem, Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar, Andrei Arlovski, Bas Rutten and Mark Colmen are unlikely to be favored against Ngannou, as would any other MMA fighter, ever.

And yet.....Ngannou is a 100% pure boxer who took crash courses in kickboxing, wrestling and submission grappling to round himself out, and came to dominate the MMA world as thoroughly as any big man ever has.

And he quit the UFC world title to focus on the Boxing that owned that sport; got as sharp as he could....... And fought Joshua.

Joshua sent him out in a stretcher, with a slick combination. Early.

So that win by Joshua; a minor fight for him; rolled up Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Savate, Greco-Roman, Sumo, Sambo, Kung-fu, Taekwon-do, Muay Thai, Kickboxing and everything else under the sun into one neat spliff; and Joshua smoked it.

That ain't no bum, tough guy.

Did you see Ngannou's interviews several days after the Joshua fight?