Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Anthony Joshua should have to earn another title shot against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, beating one of the solid contenders, such as Martin Bakole or Tyson Fury, if he comes out of retirement.
No more free passes
Journeyman Dillian Whyte and former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder are two names that have been mentioned as strong possibilities for Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to fight next if ‘The Gypsy’ can’t be brought out of retirement. King’ Fury. by Turki Al-Sheikh.
The idea would be for Joshua to use Whyte, 36, or Wilder to rebuild his confidence and status in the boxing world before facing Dubois in a rematch later this year. However, those two fighters are no longer relevant in the division today and haven’t been for many years.
What Joshua needs is to beat one of these heavyweights to earn a title shot like regular fighters do:
– Martin Bakole
–Agit Kabayel
-Zhilei Zhang
-Joseph Parker
– Moisés Itauma
AJ’s credibility is gone after his fifth-round knockout loss to Dubois last year on September 21 in London, and he needs to establish himself as a guy who deserves a world title shot. That’s how it’s done with normal fighters, and it’s not fair that Joshua is given the opportunity to fight for a world title after beating Wilder or Whyte.
Meritocracy over star power
“Where Anthony Joshua is at the moment, put him with Dillian Whyte and Deontay Wilder in the next six. “If he wins those two fights, then give him a fight against (IBF heavyweight champion) Daniel Dubois if he wants a rematch or Tyson Fury,” Gareth A. Davies told talkSport Boxing about Antonio Josué.
“Tyson Fury makes sense if he’s going to box again, but definitely Daniel Dubois. “He’s the belt holder right now and he’s going this direction (up), while Joshua is coming this direction (downhill),” Adam Catterall said. “He (AJ) has to win to earn the right to fight.
“There has to be a meritocracy in this regard. Your profile has to disappear for a second. Joshua has to win a solid fight to get back into the fight. Personally, I’d like to see Fury fight, and if it’s not Fury, I’d like to push him towards Martin Bakole. Why not? Bakole is a great challenger, right?
The way boxing stands now, fighters who become pseudo-stars, like Joshua, don’t have to earn title shots. They are given without having to work for the position because it is about business.
If you have a heavyweight belt, you’ll fight Joshua because it means a big payday, but it makes boxing seem more like a popularity contest than a real sport. It can’t be a real sport if popular wrestlers don’t have to earn title shots like regular wrestlers.
“Bakole is a big favorite there at the moment, a big favorite,” Gareth said of how Bakole would be the favorite to beat the 35-year-old Joshua.
AJ would be fodder for Bakole right now if that fight happens, but at least if he takes that fight, he would be showing that he believes in trying to earn a title shot. Once again, it would look bad if Joshua was given a rematch with Dubois after beating Wilder or Whyte, 39.
“Maybe it is, but we’re talking about the best against the best. Let’s try it,” Catterall said.
