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Sport Boxing Anthony Joshua’s next fight revealed by Eddie Hearn after impressive win over Otto Wallin ‘AJ’ produced a stunning display to force a corner stoppage of Otto Wallin after a disastrous night for Deontay Wilder
Anthony Joshua and Otto Wallin face off in Riyadh ahead of fight Eddie Hearn has revealed Anthony Joshua will fight Filip Hrgovic next after a sensational win against Otto Wallin .
‘AJ’ was excellent across five punishing rounds in Saudi Arabia on the Day of Reckoning card in Riyadh, busting up the Swede’s face and eventually forcing a corner stoppage.
Joshua had signed to fight Deontay Wilder next in a super fight, but the American was stunned by Joseph Parker , dropping a points decision across 12 lacklustre rounds.
And Hearn insists the pursuit of a third world heavyweight title is next for the Briton, with Joshua set to move ahead of Wallin in the IBF’s rankings and a meeting with the Croatian Hrgovic appeals, given his mandatory status for Oleksandr Usyk’s belt.
And with Usyk set to fight Tyson Fury in February, there is a chance one or more of the belts could be made vacant following the fight. This could hand Joshua an immediate shot at a third world title against Hrgovic should Usyk or Fury opt to drop the IBF belt following their fight.
"He's back, he's destroying people in sparring, I believe he's the best heavyweight in the world. It was a punch-perfect performance. He dispatched him,” Hearn told DAZN.
“It was a stunning performance, in this mindset and this team, I think he’s unbeatable.
“2024 will be a massive year for him. It was a tough decision, between the championship and Wilder, we signed for Wilder, he lost, that’s OK. Maybe it’s a blessing. This guy is about championships, he wants to become a three-time world champion. Wallin was No 2. It’ll be Hrgovic vs AJ for the world title. I’m so happy to see him smiling and performing so well.
“He’s a dangerous man in that mood. He’s back.”
Should Usyk or Fury hold onto the belt, then Tony Bellew has floated an alternative option for Joshua next: MMA superstar Francis Ngannou, who came close to upsetting Tyson Fury.
“Of course you could [see Joshua fighting Ngannou next],” Bellew told DAZN. “It would be a mega event, the fight wouldn’t play out how Fury and Ngannou did.
“The Wilder fight is off the table, I imagine Wilder will want to set the record straight against Parker.
“Joshua will want the biggest fight, if not for a world title. The next best thing for Joshua is to secure a mandatory. The winner of Fury vs Usyk will want to fight AJ.
“He won’t want to be labelled a paper champion. He’ll look to a big fight. Is there a bigger fight than Ngannou vs AJ?”
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