Mandatories, unifications or rematches?
Thursday 29 April 2021 10:27, UK
Tyson Fury is his dream fight but who might Anthony Joshua realistically face next?
The mandatory challenger to the IBF heavyweight championship that Joshua has owned for a year, obliging a bout against Pulev could be fundamental to the young champion keeping his belt. The IBF are, remember, the same organisation that stripped Tyson Fury of the title for not immediately accepting his mandatory challenger in the aftermath of his own win against Klitschko in November 2015.
Pulev beat Kevin Johnson [a former opponent of Joshua's] last Friday night to maintain his position as the IBF's top contender. His promoters, the Sauerlands, tweeted: "CONFIRMED: Winner of #JoshuaKlitchsko MUST face Pulev next or be stripped. Looking forward to that one."
The prospect of Joshua being stripped or vacating his IBF belt is plausible, his promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed last week, but equally they might deem Pulev to be a realistic next opponent. The veteran Bulgarian has strung together five wins since losing to Klitschko in 2014 - that result remains his only defeat.
Experienced and rugged but without the obvious skill of Klitschko, Pulev, 35, could be identified as someone that Joshua could brush off his own cobwebs against.
The WBC heavyweight champion from Alabama was always seen as Joshua's obvious route into the United States, but after a mammoth occasion on British soil like we saw on Saturday night, that plan might be tweaked. Wilder, knowing his own most interesting options speak with English accents, was ringside to watch Joshua and to bicker with Tony Bellew.
Asked if he saw Joshua as an opponent this year, Wilder said: "Most definitely. It's all about unifications now. I want to do my thing and get [Joseph Parker's] belt then, at the end of the year, we have a mega-fight. Winner-takes-all, bragging rights."
The paradox about Wilder is that appears still to be a prospect yet he is 31-years-old, is the longest reigning heavyweight champion, and won all 38 of his fights with just a single opponent avoiding a knockout.
His critics cite a lack of technique, and Wilder was certainly out-boxed in the early rounds of his most recent defence against Gerald Washington, but he possesses the same stunning weapon that Joshua relied upon against Klitschko. Pure power is an attribute that cannot be taught and Wilder's right hand, usually delivered fast and straight like Joshua's, would account for any heavyweight if it lands flush. A fight to unify the world titles belonging to America's champion and Britain's equivalent, whether it be in Vegas or London, has the potential to be an occasion that would dwarf even Joshua-Klitschko.
The mandatory challenger to the WBA 'super' belt that Joshua acquired on Saturday night, but nothing is ever simple. Last week the WBA's president Gilberto J Mendoza, who you might have spotted awarding his organisation's belt to Joshua in the ring at Wembley, insisted Ortiz might have to wait.
"The winner [of Joshua-Klitschko] is entitled to ask for a special permit if the event merits it," Mendoza said. "But Ortiz is the mandatory contender."
The event presumably merits the most special of permits meaning Cuba's Ortiz, unbeaten in 27, could become the forgotten man in the world title picture. The door has clearly been opened by the WBA for Joshua to retain his status as their champion while delaying the necessity of accepting mandatory challengers, so 38-year-old southpaw Ortiz is likely to remain on the back-burner.
The WBO heavyweight champion, like Joshua, is an up-and-coming young title-holder whose goal is to own the division for years to come. New Zealand's Parker makes the first defence of his belt next week against Razvan Cojanu (a short-notice replacement for Hughie Fury) but he's making the right noises about Joshua.
"I have to get past this next fight but I look forward to setting out a fight with him in the future," Parker said after watching Joshua's win on Saturday.
Parker's trainer Kevin Barry previously told Sky Sports: "I believe and I've always believed that Joe has the type of style and movement, and hand speed that would trouble Anthony Joshua. We would love to come to the UK for that fight."
At 25 Parker is two years younger than Joshua, and at 22-0 he has racked up three extra wins. Beaten opponents of Carlos Takam and Andy Ruiz Jr's ilk prove that Parker's record is substantial, and his status as a world champion is legitimate. But he has only fought outside of New Zealand and Samoa three times and, considering their tender years, Joshua vs Parker might be a longer-term option.
Who wouldn't want to see it again? The fate of Joshua-Klitschko II might lie with the beaten man who, aged 41, would have to decide whether he can muster the rigours of another training camp and another rigorous fight.
"There was definitely a rematch clause for both sides," confirmed Tom Loeffler, part of Klitschko's management team. "Wladimir will make the decision on what he wants to do."
Klitschko spoke about a rematch post-fight: "Of course, we have it in the contract, I'm right now interested."
Joshua replied: "I don't mind fighting him again, if he wants the rematch."
The pieces have already started slowly coming together but, after the stitches have been sewn and the injuries have subsided, it could be a different story. Joshua might perceive that a more attractive option has presented itself or Klitschko may be convinced to draw a line under his exceptional legacy.
However, what better way of measuring Joshua's improvement than a second fight with the man who gave him so much trouble? The lessons that the young champion will inevitably learn from his rocky night at Wembley could immediately be put into practice against the same opponent to gauge how rapidly Joshua is growing.
