Anthony Joshua has ‘three options’ after boxing return as Eddie Hearn teases huge fights for former champ
ANTHONY JOSHUA has three major options lying in wait if he beats Jermaine Franklin.
AJ faces American Franklin on April 1 – live on talkSPORT radio – as he looks to bounce back from consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk.
His promoter Eddie Hearn was confronted live on air by Simon Jordan, who called Joshua a “flat-track bully” who has “gotten found out.”
Jordan also questioned Hearn on whether AJ will consider facing Joe Joyce, 37, or Daniel Dubois, 25, if he gets back to winning ways.
But Hearn responded: “I don’t think the Dubois fight, I think Joyce is the guy.
“I think Dubois is miles away in terms of the heavyweight division of the elite guys but I think Joyce is right in there.
“Those guys have sparred thousands of rounds, it’s brilliant to watch. Honestly if you asked AJ about fighting Joyce, no problem at all.
“He has three options after Franklin are Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte.
“I don’t think there’s any disgrace off the back of the Usyk fight going Jermaine Franklin, Dillian Whyte and then Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder. That’s a hell of a 2023.”
Joshua, 33, is without a win since December 2020 when he knocked out Bulgarian veteran Kubrat Pulev, now 41.
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And Franklin, 29, won praise for his performance over Whyte, 34, in November in which he lost a controversial decision.
Hearn agreed it is “make or break” for Joshua and the nerves are running high.
He said: “Absolutely. I’m a promoter and I’m hyping the fight, but at the same time I am nervous.
“He’s coming off two defeats, albeit to Oleksandr Usyk, we saw emotionally the position he was in because he wanted to win so badly.
“He’s got a new trainer and he’s taken himself to Dallas with a very small team to work his absolute socks off.”