Ranking the 5 Best Opponents for New IBF Heavyweight Champion Anthony Joshua
After just 16 fights as a pro, Anthony Joshua is a world champion.
The unbeaten Englishman dismantled Charles Martin inside two rounds to claim the IBF belt at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.
Joshua's success hardly comes as a surprise. Once he joined the paid ranks, the 2012 Olympic gold-medal winner seemed destined to go all the way to the top of the heavyweight division.
Few, though, could have predicted it would happen so early in his career.
Fighting for a major belt within three years of turning pro maybe wasn't the original plan, but taking on Martin was an opportunity too good to turn down.
Now, Joshua and his team have to work out who he will face in his first defence.
Bleacher Report has picked out five names (and some honourable mentions) who could be in the frame. Feel free to offer your own suggestions via the comments section.
Honourable Mentions
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Joshua against Tyson Fury is the heavyweight clash British boxing needs.
The pair became involved in some verbal sparring in the buildup to Joshua's bout with Martin. Fury was hardly impressed with his domestic rival's performance on Saturday, either.
The reigning WBA and WBO champion tweeted in the immediate aftermath on Saturday, "So AJ gets a belt, looked slow ponderous, & still looked like a bodybuilder, let me slay the lamb."
However, you're going to have to be patient to see the showdown, as Fury is officially booked for a rematch against Wladimir Klitschko on July 9.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, revealed plans to possibly go head-to-head with Fury vs. Klitschko, telling Sky Sports Box Office: "We've got a little something planned for July 9, maybe in a national stadium in Wembley."
Whether they all fight on the same night remains to be seen, but Joshua definitely won't face Fury next.
A unification bout with WBC champion Deontay Wilder is also a nonstarter. The American defends his title against Alexander Povetkin on May 21.
Hearn did reveal one criterion for picking Joshua's next opponent, per Kevin Mitchell of the Guardian: "We’ll have to look at the Top 15 [of the IBF rankings]."
Therefore, names who could be considered but didn't make the final cut are Vyacheslav Glazkov, Andy Ruiz Jr. and Dominic Breazeale.
5. Johann Duhaupas
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Johann Duhaupas (34-3, 21 KOs) is not yet in the IBF's Top 15, per FightNews.com.
However, the Frenchman should be on the rise in the rankings after his impressive knockout victory over Robert Helenius on April 2 in Helsinki, Finland.
Duhaupas has also been in a world-title fight already in his career.
The 35-year-old—nicknamed the Reptile—lasted into Round 11 before WBC champion Deontay Wilder stopped him in 2015.
The American Wilder praised his opponent after the stoppage triumph, per Sky Sports: "When you have guys who want what you have, they're going to give it their all. You have to give him the credit. He did an excellent job, and he definitely has my respect."
Joshua could make a statement by doing a number on Duhaupas quicker than one of his biggest division rivals did.
4. Joseph Parker/Carlos Takam
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Joseph Parker and Carlos Takam have been paired together for a reason.
The two go head-to-head on May 21 in Manukau City, New Zealand, to work out who will become Joshua's mandatory challenger.
The Kiwi Parker (18-0, 16 KOs) has the benefit of home advantage. The 24-year-old is considered one of the division's brightest prospects, plus he has an 89 per cent knockout ratio, per BoxRec.
Duco Events owner David Higgins, who is part of Parker's promotional team, told George Heagney of Stuff.co.nz: "We're now down to the wire. Joseph wins on May 21, and we're guaranteed a world-title shot for the IBF world heavyweight title.
"It could be Joshua, it could be [Tyson] Fury, it could be [Wladimir] Klitschko."
Takam (33-2-1, 25 KOs), however, will be Parker's toughest test to date.
Born in Cameroon but now based in France, the 35-year-old lasted into Round 10 against Alexander Povetkin. He also holds wins over Michael Grant and Tony Thompson on his record.
Joshua could opt to get his mandatory out of the way early to give him a clean slate for later in the year.
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3. David Haye
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David Haye was on duty for broadcasters Sky Sports at the O2 Arena on Saturday.
The former WBA champion (27-2, 25 KOs) may have only made one (brief) appearance on his return to action, but he is still confident of being able to cope against the heavy-handed Joshua.
He told Sky Sports Box Office (h/t Isaac Robinson of SkySports.com):
"There was nothing done by Charles Martin to bring out any weakness. The way I fight is completely different to Martin. I don't stand up in the air and my head is constantly moving. I have feints.
Joshua wouldn't let his hands go with me because I'd unsettle him and drag him out of his comfort zone. You have to put him on the shelf from really early on. If I stood on the outside and went jab for jab, he's got longer arms than me.
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Haye, however, has a scheduled fight against unbeaten (and unheard of) Arnold Gjergjaj on May 21.
The Hayemaker also has his sights set on Shannon Briggs, who has harassed the Englishman for several weeks in the hope of getting a fight against the Englishman.
It seems Briggs may get his wish. Haye wants to silence the 44-year-old American, telling Sky Sports: "He's an idiot. He is going to get knocked out."
2. Dereck Chisora
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Dereck Chisora (25-5, 17 KOs) was previously considered a strong candidate to face Joshua.
According to Tom Hopkinson in the Mirror, talks between the two camps for a bout in early 2016 were ditched when Chisora's team asked for a 50-50 split of the pot.
Instead, Joshua opted to gamble by taking on Martin for the IBF title. Now, as a world champion, he holds all the aces at the negotiating table.
Chisora, meanwhile, moved on from the idea of an all-English showdown.
He is scheduled to face the Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev for the vacant European belt, so any hopes of a clash with Joshua would hinge on him either winning that bout or turning his back on the opportunity completely.
As pointed out by Declan Warrington and Jack de Menezes for the Independent: "The 32-year-old is scheduled to fight Kubrat Pulev on May 7, so something would have to change, but the fact he is so well known in the UK and there is a close relationship between his promoters, the Sauerland brothers, and Matchroom, means that this matchup is far from unthinkable."
Chisora is a recognised name, but is he really good enough to be in the main event of a pay-per-view card?
Del Boy has previously lost to Vitali Klitschko (who he took the distance in 2012), David Haye and Tyson Fury.
1. Bermane Stiverne
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Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) ticks all the boxes for Joshua and his team.
The Haiti-born heavyweight is ranked inside the IBF's Top 15, per FightNews.com, and is a former world champion.
Stiverne claimed the WBC belt back in 2014, knocking out Chris Arreola for a second successive fight to collect the vacant title.
However, he did not reign for long. Deontay Wilder dethroned the 37-year-old in his first defence, albeit on points.
It remains the only time the unbeaten American Wilder has gone the distance in 36 outings, suggesting Stiverne could at least push Joshua into deeper waters.
Stiverne was last seen recording a unanimous-decision win over Derric Rossy in a 10-rounder in November 2015.
Does Stiverne make sense for Joshua's first defence? Have your say on who the new world champion should fight next via the comments section.
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