Comments Thread For: Anthony Joshua To Make First Defense on July 9, Maybe at Wembley

[Scipio2009]

Things are likely largely posturing at this point (doubt that Matchroom Sport really wants to split the market for a 1st defense that, against whomever, is going to make the company a lot of money), but a stadium tripleheader, featuring Tony Bellew vs Illunga Makabu (WBC cruiserweight title), Kell Brook vs Danny Garcia (IBF/WBC 147 unification), and Anthony Joshua's first title defense (Dereck Chisora, Bermane Stiverne, and Johann Duhaupas are all rated in the top 15 by the IBF), would actually make sense.

Running Wembley Stadium for a token title defense (he's not fighting Fury or Haye next, so the fight is unlikely to generate the type of public attention needed to get 80k into the building) won't work, imo.

40k-50k people into Goodison Park, in Liverpool(with a "local boy done good" chasing a world title, and a world-level unification fight), would actually work out rather well, imo.

[Robbie Barrett]

Only fights that pull in the numbers for Wembley are Haye and Fury. Both can't be made for July 9.

[vitali1999]

Ortiz is top ranked or he could do the Wilder thing and fight somebody you never heard of, isn't ranked and who's name you can't pronounce. Hahahaaa

[robbyheartbaby]

Hearn probably just got off the phone to mailk Scott

The King would school Joshua..

[Dat]

I'm still not sold on Joshua, I think his fellow Brits Fury and Haye beats him. Hope he fights Pulev or Ortiz, that should be interesting.

[Crazylegs77]

Bring it on!



May have to go to england for this one.

[Ham Porter]

Things are likely largely posturing at this point (doubt that Matchroom Sport really wants to split the market for a 1st defense that, against whomever, is going to make the company a lot of money), but a stadium tripleheader, featuring Tony Bellew vs Illunga Makabu (WBC cruiserweight title), Kell Brook vs Danny Garcia (IBF/WBC 147 unification), and Anthony Joshua's first title defense (Dereck Chisora, Bermane Stiverne, and Johann Duhaupas are all rated in the top 15 by the IBF), would actually make sense.

Running Wembley Stadium for a token title defense (he's not fighting Fury or Haye next, so the fight is unlikely to generate the type of public attention needed to get 80k into the building) won't work, imo.

40k-50k people into Goodison Park, in Liverpool(with a "local boy done good" chasing a world title, and a world-level unification fight), would actually work out rather well, imo.

Seriously, just stop discussing markets that you've no clue of.

[super-x]

Cant blame team joshua if they take the wilder bum defence route... A.j only had half the fights wilder did b4 challenging for world title and has alot to still learn... If Wilder can get away with 3 consecutive hand picked nobodys (at the time they fought) then Joshua should be allowed one or 2... After all hes still very young, whats the rush? Let him mature up fight by fight and then bring in the top crop like fury etc. Fighting at wembley could be chisora, and a very strong undercard would be needed. Hopfully kell brook against a big name

[low blows]

How about the Frenchman who ko'd the Nordic Nightmare? He is the perfect opponent, in that he can soak up punishment and go rounds but not be too much of a threat power wise.

[Scipio2009]

Seriously, just stop discussing markets that you've no clue of.

Brook-Garcia (WBC/IBF 147 world title unification)
Bellew-Makabu (WBC 200 title fight)
Joshua's first title defense (IBF heavyweight title)

Even with me being an admitted non-Brit, arguing that that tripleheader, featuring British fighters in world-level fights, wouldn't draw massive attention in the UK, to me, is laughable.