Anthony Joshua names six boxers he wants to fight before he retires including Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder… and Kownacki
ANTHONY JOSHUA has lifted the lid on the six fighters he would love to share the ring with before he retires.
The 30-year-old – who holds the WBA, WBO and IBF belts – has set his sights on becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
Joshua was set to face his IBF mandatory Kubrat Pulev in June at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, only for the fight to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite it being the second time that a bout between the two has been cancelled, AJ surprisingly hasn’t named the Bulgarian in his list of dream opponents.
In an interview with Sky Sports while in lockdown, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist reeled off six fighters he hopes to face in the coming years.
Here SunSport runs you through Joshua’s picks.
1. OLEKSANDR USYK
The unbeaten Ukrainian has stepped up to heavyweight having conquered the cruiserweight division after capturing all four major belts.
Usyk – who was due to face Derek Chisora before the Covid-19 crisis – is Joshua’s mandatory for his WBO strap.
2. DEONTAY WILDER
A fight between the Bronze Bomber and AJ has been touted for years.
The former WBC king and the British star have been embroiled in a war of words for most of that time but still managed to avoid a unification clash before Tyson Fury returned to the scene.
Joshua recently labelled Wilder a “b****” and claims he is “more of a man” than him after he was accused of not being a “true champion”.
3. TYSON FURY
The fight everyone wants to see. Surely it’s only a matter of time before the rivals get it on and unify the division, with the pair constantly asked about a future encounter.
It has been said that Joshua would be willing to take a hit of around £6.5million to face Fury behind closed doors.
4. LUIS ORTIZ
The veteran Cuban, 41, has only lost two out of his 35 fights, with both defeats coming at the hands of Wilder, who knocked him out.
A clash against Andy Ruiz Jr has been rumoured with both men looking to get back into world title fights.
5. ADAM KOWNACKI
The hard-hitting Polish heavyweight was making a lot of noise in the division after blasting away his first 20 opponents in the paid ranks.
But he came unstuck against Robert Helenius, the former foe of Dillian Whyte and Chisora, who sensationally stopped him in four rounds.
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6. JARRELL MILLER
The unbeaten American was scheduled to face Joshua last year but failed numerous drug tests in the build-up to the fight.
Miller recently hit out at Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn, while he also claimed he is better than both Joshua and Fury.