Anthony Joshua has been warned that his career is one fight away from done as his team continue to negotiate the Deontay Wilder fight.
Following two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk that saw him out of the title picture, Joshua returned to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin in April.
Previous promises of a three-fight year were then thrown into doubt as it emerged he was in talks to face longtime rival, Wilder, in December this year.
That may or may not disrupt plans to rematch Dillian Whyte in the summer. Speaking to The Sun, Whyte said that ‘AJ’s next steps could see him finished in the sport of boxing.
“Joshua isn’t the golden goose anymore, the sport doesn’t revolve around him.”
“Him and his people don’t seem to realise it but duck me again and lose to Wilder in December and he and his team — that know so much but do so little — are finished.”
It’s a predicament that Joshua’s team do find themselves in.
Whilst he’s being urged to take a fight before the proposed Wilder date in December in order to get some more work in under new trainer, Derrick James, there’s a worry that any slip up could spoil the Saudi showdown.
The general consensus from behind the scenes seems to be that he will indeed fight in August, and promoter Eddie Hearn still believes Dillian Whyte to be one of the frontrunners to occupy the other corner.
As for Wilder, he’s willing to sit out if he’s compensated, but is also looking into potential opponents for a tick-over fight.