Anthony Joshua's Next Fight: Latest News as Brit Responds to Tyson Fury Jibe

The search for Anthony Joshua's next opponent is on, and Tyson Fury opened the door for a unification bout after he called the new IBF world heavyweight champion “slow and ponderous” during his knockout victory over Charles Martin on Saturday.

Joshua made quick work of the previously unbeaten American, knocking him down twice in the second round. Martin failed to beat the count after the second knockdown, but Fury wasn't impressed with what he saw from Joshua and took to Twitter to let everyone know:

Fury will defend his WBA, WBO and IBO belts against Wladimir Klitschko on July 9, but Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, told Sky Sports Box Office Joshua might schedule his first title defence the same night, possibly at Wembley Stadium (h/t Sky Sports):

"

He's just won the heavyweight championship of the world. It just looks like he's just won a four-rounder.

This is only the beginning, he's got aspirations to unify all the belts, and he will. We've got a little something planned for July 9, maybe in a national stadium in Wembley.

Get ready for that. He's going to go through everybody.

"

Hearn was also asked about a possible fight against Fury, and he stated his belief Joshua will “beat everybody.”

Joshua's rise up the heavyweight rankings has been remarkable, evidenced by the fact he's a world title holder after just 16 professional bouts, per BoxRec.

Questions about the level of his opposition remain, however. Martin wasn't regarded as a particularly strong champion and only took the belt after Vyacheslav Glazkov suffered an injury in their title bout in January. The two fighters got their shot at the title after the IBF belt was stripped from Fury.

Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

According to Sky Sports' Richard Damerell, star prospect Joshua Parker and Carlos Takam will go head-to-head in May, with the winner of that bout becoming Joshua's mandatory challenger.

But Joshua's fans might already be looking at bigger, more accomplished opponents. The names of Fury and David Haye keep coming up, and Joshua made it clear he wants to fight them both, per the Press Association (via MailOnline):

"

Me, Tyson Fury and David Haye, we have to fight. We can't get through this whole era without fighting, that would be silly, we will get it on at the right time. It's just bound to happen at some stage.

I'm not going to lower myself [to Fury's level after he took to Twitter to criticise my performance]. He talks like a kid. He's predictable really. He should be happy I won.

"

BBC Radio 5 live added the name of WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder to the list of possible opponents:

Wilder is scheduled to meet Alexander Povetkin on May 21. Haye is set to fight Arnold Gjergjaj on the same date. Per Sky Sports' James Dielhenn, Haye has already said he'll fight Shannon Briggs next if the American wins a fight on the undercard of his bout with Gjergjaj.

There are a number of lucrative fights out there Joshua could chase, but most pundits agree the 26-year-old shouldn't jump into a bout with star-caliber opposition too soon. He's still developing as a fighter, and his first world title belt doesn't change that, per former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis:

Parker is an impressive prospect in his own right, and if he gets past Takam and becomes Joshua's mandatory challenger, he would present a step in the right direction. The 24-year-old is durable and could give Joshua the rounds he needs―Joshua's stamina and conditioning still haven't been tested.

If he can go deep against a guy like Parker, who is expected to become a great champion as well, it would open the door for a unification bout against Fury or Wilder―providing they get past Klitschko and Povetkin respectively.

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