Anthony Joshua is set to get a shot at becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion by facing the winner of the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.
In an interview with The Sun, Hearn stated, “I expect the winner of the December fight to fight Anthony Joshua if he wins in September. There’s no decision yet made on the opponent, there are three or four in the mix. But yeah, that’s the absolute plan.”
Joshua, who last fought in March when he brutally knocked out Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia, is expected to take on Daniel Dubois in September at Wembley Stadium. Dubois recently won the IBF ‘interim’ belt by stopping Filip Hrgovic.
“The first priority is to regain the world heavyweight title and obviously undisputed’s always been the dream. So I think we’re two fights away from becoming undisputed. But, we’ve got to win them,” Hearn added.
In their initial meeting last month, Usyk defeated Fury via split decision to become the first boxer since Lennox Lewis in 1999 to unify the heavyweight division. The Ukrainian’s victory saw him claim the WBC title from Fury, adding to his WBA (Super), WBO, IBF, and IBO belts.
According to a report by Dailymail, promoter Frank Warren confirmed that discussions are ongoing for a potential Joshua-Dubois clash, stating, “Daniel Dubois proved all his doubters wrong and won the IBF ‘interim’ belt. He hopefully will be fighting AJ in the autumn, we’re working on that. He did well. We would love it to be in the UK, they’re two Brits, it would be a great fight to put on at Wembley.”
Should Joshua overcome Dubois, he will be in line to face either Fury or Usyk in a bid to become the undisputed heavyweight champion, even if the Gypsy King gains revenge on the Ukrainian to set up a potential trilogy.
