Four realistic opponents for Anthony Joshua warm up fight before Tyson Fury bout
Anthony Joshua’s return to the ring is edging closer.
The Watford powerhouse was recently presented with a two-fight deal by Riyadh Season, which includes a July tune-up fight followed by a long-awaited all-British showdown with Tyson Fury in November.
As the wording ‘tune-up’ suggests, Joshua’s opponent is expected to be of a lower calibre.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, even insisted that fans will likely criticise the matchup.
With that in mind, talkSPORT.com has compiled a list of four realistic opponents for Joshua’s comeback.
Deontay Wilder
A fight with Deontay Wilder makes the most sense, but it also appears to be the most unlikely at this stage.
While the matchup has been a decade in the making and undoubtedly still has massive commercial appeal, the Saudis are concerned it could be a potential banana skin for AJ.
Hearn recently told talkSPORT: “If we [Matchroom] were promoting the event, I would be going Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury.
“But this is a deal that has been put to us with the Fury fight as the mountain top.
“There will be a lot of people who won’t want to go into a fight that they feel is risky and put that fight in jeopardy.”
This stance is particularly puzzling given how poor Wilder looked last time out against Derek Chisora.
Cassius Chaney
A fight with Cassius Chaney is definitely not an attractive proposition, but as talkSPORT.com first reported, the unheralded American had been lined up as an opponent for Joshua last November.
The fight ended up falling apart when Jake Paul swooped in with a lucrative offer to box on Netflix in December.
Since then, Chaney has been retired on his stool by Alexander Flores and would serve as a lower-risk option than an ageing Wilder.
Arslanbek Makhmudov
Fury blew off the cobwebs to outpoint Makhmudov earlier this month after 16 months out of the ring.
The Russian slugger has since called out Joshua, and would act as a good yardstick to see where Joshua is at in relation to Fury.
Makhmudov also told talkSPORT.com before the Fury fight that AJ had promised to meet him in the ring before his involvement in a tragic car crash in Nigeria.
“Before this, I spoke with Anthony Joshua, and he gave me a promise to fight this year,” said Makhmudov.
“But after he got into some trouble (a car accident in Nigeria).
“I asked my promoter about Anthony, and he said there probably won’t be a fight right now.
“So I said, ‘If not, Joshua, I heard Tyson Fury is also looking for somebody to fight’.“
Dillian Whyte
Joshua and Dillian Whyte still have unfinished business after their 2023 rematch fell apart when the latter failed a pre-fight drug test.
Whyte has since been cleared to continue his career after the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation determined that the adverse finding was caused by a contaminated supplement.
Organisers may choose to revisit the bout in 2026 after Whyte was blown away in a round by Moses Itauma.
Five opponents that would prepare Anthony Joshua the best for Tyson Fury
If Joshua’s team are looking at tall, awkward operators that can replicate Fury’s style, then the following names may be considered: Tony Yoka, Damian Knyba, Nelson Hysa, Hughie Fury, and Guido Vianello.
Boxing schedule
For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s boxing schedule.
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