Still no announcement for a new opponent for former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua this Saturday. Original foe Dillian Whyte was ruled out due to an adverse finding for a banned substance. Matchroom is hoping to save the card, which also has three additonal heavyweight bouts including Filip Hrgovic vs. Demsey McKean, Derek Chisora vs. Gerald Washington, and Johnny Fisher vs. Harry Armstrong. The event will stream on DAZN if it happens.
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George Foreman III just called out AJ… Said he’s been in the gym for 6 months and ready to go!
Not Hrgovic, he might hit him back. Best stick with the over 40s.
I think AJ’s level of competition has been solid: Usyk (2), Ruiz (2), Pulev, Parker, Povetkin, Parker, Klitschko, Whyte. I don’t believe any of them were over 40 when AJ fought them. I would cut him some slack.
Usyk beat him twice. Ruiz beat him before eating himself out of a title. Pulev was well past his best as was Povetkin. Parker just isnt that good and Whyte hasnt beaten any good fighters that weren’t over the hill. Wladimir Klitschko was 41 years old.
Well they won’t risk AJ losing again until there is a decent wedge of money on offer that’s why they picked Dillian Whyte in the first place.
The IBF is next up in the rotation as far as I know, so unless the Usyk – Dubois winner gets the unification fight, Hrgovic gets the winner. He wouldn’t take AJ on late notice and I don’t think Hearn would let him even if he wanted.
Hrg has a fight coming up in just a few days.
You know Chisora would take that fight in a second and he isn’t a big deviation in style from Whyte. No one would want to see that though and I already saw Washington’s trainer volunteering him as well but… ditto.
I would think it wouldn’t be too difficult to find a replacement for Whyte. The fact he spells Whyte with a Y may pose a bit more of a challenge though.
Agit Kabayel will be decent good late replacement…
I’ll take the payday.
Everyone knows they will look for a very easy opponent to step in. Anthony Joshua Has too much money in his bank account. His heart blood and soul is no longer in boxing.
Frank Sanchez. 22-0, 15 K.O. has been avoided for top Heavyweights. Tremendous boxer. He has all the skills to stop Joshua
No chance. AJ doesn’t want that fight. Nor Hrgovic. He doesn’t want a live dog. He’s looking for a known commodity that he knows isn’t up to snuff. Hence Whyte, and likely why he chooses Chisora despite lots of more attractive options.
Ruiz will do it for
10 million dollars. Or may just talk about it more instead…
Washington, Helenius, or Chisora coming up…
Count Helenius out, he just fought last weekend.
It was a nothing fight. He’d be ready for another right now.
Most likely it will be derek chisora! Chisora and whyte seemd as the only washed out, burnt out, tomato cans available in the heavyweight division in england!
How many more fights does Chisora have to lose before people realize he doesn’t have the chops at this level? I guarantee he’d jump in , though. The guy is willing to fight anybody. You can’t fault Chisora for the level of competition he fights at, even as a no-hoper. I wish more fighters were like him.
Chisora is a tough…durable fighter…Chisora throws good body punches…vicious on the inside..google his last fights….be careful of this fighter…maybe not the guy to fight with a few weeks notice too prepared..reminds me of Ray Mercer at the tail end of his career..except Ray was slightly better than Chisora and definitely not a guy to fight with a few weeks notice.
Logan Paul
Naw, too risky
AJ has had a good career, but he’s at the end of the road. I’m going with TBA in a heartbreaking majority decision.
How about throwing in Helenius? He’s already in camp for a fight at home. Should AJ finish the fight in devastating fashion, a fight with Wilder could be marketed to the lamen and they can make a huge payday. It’s 5 years too late, but it can work.
Otto is in fight shape right now. It’s an intriguing match up.
Talk about a dude that can’t get fights…. Yeah, I’d be all-in on Wallin. I have no idea what shape he’s in, but I think it’d be competitive. This isn’t the AJ of 4 years ago.
Wilder hasn’t fought since last October, when he did less than a round of work. Maybe he’s available. Joshua vs Wilder would be a huge draw. As for Whyte, this should be it for his career. He needs to retire.
LOL you know Joshua doesn’t want to fight Wilder. He never wanted that fight.
I saw on another website that the front runner is Washington.
Could be joshua vs jeramine franklin 2
Derek Chisora is a natural choice, if you talk about similarities in style, but he is already booked in August against Gerald Washington.
Otto Wallin is an alternative. He has not been up twelve rounds since facing Dominic Breazeale two and a half years ago.
After that, Otto Wallin has gone up against very mediocre opposition in eight or ten round fights. He has done his job but without impressing.
Perhaps Otto Wallin would therefore be seen as a reasonably difficult opponent at this stage.
Helenius is a good fight and could pose some real questions if he gets past the first couple of rounds
This explains why Andy Ruiz suddenly went to social media to call out AJ for a rubber match instead of focusing on his proposed fight with Wilder. Ruiz sold wolf tickets claiming he wanted to fight Wilder but he clearly doesn’t want that fight. If calling this isn’t a duck move I don’t know what is.
Helenius will fight Joshua. It is in the local news in Finland
It is Helenius. Just announced on the radio. Depends which Helenius turns up, but could be a decent fight if the right Helenius turns up?
Robert Helnius is the new opponent.