Boxing: ‘Joshua open to fighting Wilder, Joyce’ – Eddie Hearn

Promoter Eddie Hearn has suggested that Anthony Joshua is prepared to face Deontay Wilder or Joe Joyce in his next fight.

Joshua had been in line to face unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated him in his last fight, in the spring until Usyk joined thousands of Ukrainian civilians in defending their country in the war against Russia.

With the initially-planned clash no longer a realistic possibility, Joshua will look elsewhere before possibly fighting to reclaim his IBF, WBA and WBO titles later in the year.

However, rather than take a favourable tick over bout, Hearn has revealed that Joshua is open to fighting Wilder, a former rival of Tyson Fury or British compatriot Joyce.

Speaking on the 5 Live Boxing podcast, Joshua said: “If we can’t fight him in May or early June, we would like an interim fight before we go into the Usyk fight.

“AJ’s idea of an interim bout is very different to mine. An interim bout while you’re waiting should be a nice little stroll in the park.

“He’s messaging me saying: ‘What about Wilder? What about Otto Wallin? What about Luis Ortiz? What about Joe Joyce?’ But this is AJ all over. He’s like a caged lion.”

Of those four possibilities, Ortiz or Wallin may be deemed the most likely match-ups courtesy of being southpaws.