Anthony Joshua has said he’s ‘most interested’ in a fight with Joe Joyce, and he can take or leave facing Dillian Whyte for a second time in their professional careers.
Joshua knocked Whyte out back in 2015 for the British and Commonwealth Heavyweight titles – what he calls his favourite stoppage – and the pair have been touted to run it back later this year.
Asked by IFL TV if the rematch with Dillian Whyte and a first fight with Deontay Wilder interests him, Joshua threw Joe Joyce’s name into the mix as his top choice instead.
“Dillian Whyte – not so much, but it is what it is. Joe Joyce interests me the most. Wilder interests me but because I feel like this situation with Fury and Wilder – it’s just been back and forth – I would leave that to my team.
I like the Joe Joyce fight. I think that’s one that interests people, and Joe Joyce is from the same country as me, so it makes sense.”
Joyce has been open to the fight for some time now, looking for a chance at avenging his amateur loss to ‘AJ’ from 2011.
‘The Juggernaut’ fights just two weeks on from Joshua’s return against Jermaine Franklin on April 1. He faces China’s Zhilei Zhang in what promises to be a slugfest while it lasts.
On the line is his WBO Interim title, an excellent bargaining chip in the current heavyweight scene as Oleksandr Usyk looks set to miss out on an undisputed bout with Tyson Fury and serve his mandatory challengers.
The belt and mandatory position is another carrot for ‘AJ’ in a Joyce fight, and their timelines line up nicely for a summer showdown.
First up is Franklin for ‘AJ’ though, the American who took Whyte the distance and lost by majority decision in November of 2022.