Why Bermane Stiverne Ticks All the Boxes to Be Anthony Joshua's Next Opponent

You don't have to be a super sleuth to figure out Bermane Stiverne is, right now, the leading candidate to be fellow heavyweight Anthony Joshua's next opponent.

Joshua, the IBF champion, revealed after his victory over Dominic Breazeale on June 25 that he would be taking a well-deserved break before returning to the ring toward the end of the year.

He has still been a busy man though, making appearances at Wimbledon and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The Englishman—who has whacked his way to the top with 17 successive stoppage wins, quickly becoming Britain's biggest boxing star in the process—does have to face Joseph Parker in a mandatory defence at some stage.

"We will notify Anthony Joshua that he must fight mandatory challenger Joseph Parker on November 9, 2016. The mandatory due date is January 9, 2017,” the IBF told George Gigney of Boxing News in June.

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Gigney speculated at the time that New Zealander Parker would be the next man up.

However, it now seems promoter Eddie Hearn could sneak in a voluntary defence beforehand, pushing the Parker fight back to the start of 2017.

Stiverne—a former holder of the WBC belt—is heading the queue to secure a date with the champion.

Barry Hearn, Eddie's father, hinted as much in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t James Dielhenn of Sky Sports): "Parker may well be next but I suspect, probably, Joshua will have another defence prior.

"There's a whole range of names out there—whether you're talking Stiverne, Eric Molina.

"Stiverne is probably my No. 1 choice because of his credibility."

The credibility Hearn Sr. referenced is really down to one fight in particular.

In January 2015, Stiverne surrendered his title to Deontay Wilder, losing a one-sided bout by a considerable margin on all three scorecards.

However, no one else has managed to make Wilder go the distance in the American's 37 pro fights. At that stage of his career, The Bronze Bomber hadn't even been stretched beyond Round 4.

Stiverne was hospitalised after the bout due to dehydration, per Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. Considering his physical situation, it is a miracle that he managed to stick around for so long.

Since that loss, the Haiti-born heavyweight has fought just once, climbing off the canvas to defeat Derric Rossy on points in a 10-rounder last November.

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The rationale for booking the 37-year-old is clear: Joshua requires a durable foe, and Stiverne showed against Wilder that he can stick around and make a heavy-handed puncher work for a win.

Joshua has so far fought just 41 rounds as a pro. Breazeale did stretch him into the seventh last time out, but he had to take a lot of punishment to make it that far.

Even Joshua acknowledges the need to be pushed at this stage of his career, as he told Sky Sports News HQ (h/t Tim Hobbs of Sky Sports): "People want to see me go the distance, to see if I've got the stamina, so I just think [Stiverne] fits that criteria."

Big fights beckon for the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, but the other major protagonists in the division are tied up in the short term.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN.co.uk, Wilder will not fight again in 2016 due to injuries to his right hand and right bicep. When he does return, Russian Alexander Povetkin could be standing in his way.

Tyson Fury suffered an ankle problem to scupper his July rematch with Wladimir Klitschko. They will try again later in the year, hopefully finally putting to bed a saga that has dragged on for far too long.

Luis Ortiz would be a lively option if the Cuban-born southpaw wasn't already booked to fight Alexander Ustinov for the interim WBA title in September.

Choosing David Haye would be a fantastic move for British fans, yet Eddie Hearn has stated the domestic showdown isn't likely to happen until the summer of 2017, per David Anderson of the Mirror.

A bout with Parker has to be in the pipeline if Joshua wants to hold on to the IBF strap (and he absolutely does), but Stiverne could be squeezed in beforehand.

While hardly the top prize on offer, he is a respectable name who at least carries some, albeit slim, chance of producing an upset. That's all any matchmaker can ask for when trying to pick the right heavyweight from a pool that's about as deep as a miser's pockets.

The 37-year-old told Sky Sports he has already started training in anticipation of facing Joshua (h/t Dielhenn): "Everybody has been talking about the possibility to fight Joshua, you know. That's option No. 1, I'm available, and willing to fight."

Ready, willing and able—Stiverne ticks all the boxes for Joshua, who would have the chance to add a recognised name to his list of victims ahead of what looks set to be a career-defining year in 2017.