Anthony Joshua may not be heading Stateside just yet.
Suggestions were made that Joshua would be forced to venture across the Atlantic following his most recent title defence in Cardiff.
‘AJ’ had just packed out two of the biggest stadiums in Britain in back-to-back fights and most felt that the time had come for him to start looking for more exposure in the lucrative American market.
But, as he pointed out in the ring shortly after stopping challenger Carlos Takam in the tenth round of their clash at the Principality Stadium, Joshua doesn’t need to rush into a fight in the United States just for the sake of it.
“What do the people want?” Joshua asked fans from the ring. “The UK? We’ve got London, Wales, Scotland, where else?
Sour grapes? https://t.co/p5EOEOzTDR
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) October 30, 2017
“Vegas? No, not Vegas. It’s a beautiful thing and look at what boxing is doing here. People from different backgrounds are coming together to watch.
“Let’s continue boxing’s great work here in the UK.”
Having sold out Wembley for his hugely entertaining fight with Wladimir Klitschko in April, plenty felt that Joshua would return to the home of English football for his next outing but promoter Eddie Hearn has announced that that’s looking increasingly unlikely.
“Twickenham is a realistic option,” Hearn told the Mirror.
“Wembley is quite difficult this year. We have already been in contact with them and the options aren’t great.
“We basically want the biggest possibly stadium and if Wembley is not available, the next best would be Twickenham.”
Hearn has already sat down with Joshua to discuss which direction he would like to go next, with several options open to the 28-year-old.
An all-British showdown with Tyson Fury is inevitable but is likely the furthest away given Fury’s ongoing issues while the other two prime possibilities are unification bouts against either WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder or WBO champ Joseph Parker.
Wilder by name, wilder by nature https://t.co/3VpnttwdpU
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) November 5, 2017
Wilder has been the more vocal fighter and put forward a solid case for a shot at Joshua with his brutal knockout of Bermane Stiverne on Saturday night.
“We have no problem fighting Wilder next, whether that is spring or summer,” Hearn continued.
“The main issue is if they want to come to the negotiating table and then the content of those negotiations.
“One guy is selling 5,000 tickets in Brooklyn, the other is selling 70,000 tickets in Britain and we are making seven or eight times as much money per fight. There has to be some common sense.”
