Anthony Joshua has insisted he would like to defend his world titles against Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley next and then fight the winner of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s blockbuster rematch.
Joshua has been ordered to fulfill his WBO mandatory duties by agreeing to fight Usyk by June 4, but is also under pressure by the IBF to face their No 1 ranked fighter Kubrat Pulev.
The Brit, who recaptured his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles by exacting revenge on Andy Ruiz Jr last month, has already held talks with Eddie Hearn and Usyk’s agent in London about fighting the Ukrainian, but Pulev remains the frontrunner as things stand.
The unified heavyweight champion was speaking to Johnny Nelson at a Club Wembley event
Joshua has not fought in the UK since September 2018, but admitted in an ideal world, he would face Usyk, who is co-promoted by Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, at Wembley in his next outing before facing either Fury of Wilder later in the year.
‘I would 100 per cent love to fight again at Wembley, it’s mad to say I’ve boxed here, it’s a blessing,’ he told Johnny Nelson during a Club Wembley members event.
‘If it was up to me, in 2020 I’d fight Usyk and then the winner of Wilder versus Fury.’
Usyk is Joshua’s WBO mandatory and the two camps have already held talks over a fight
Fury will challenge Wilder for his WBC world title again at the MGM Grand on February 22 following their controversial split-decision draw at the end of 2018.
The self-styled Gypsy King has named Joshua as one of three fights he wants before hanging up his gloves.
AJ has ambitions of becoming the first undisputed heavyweight king since Lennox Lewis in the early 2000s and is confident a fight for all the belts will happen.
AJ is confident he will fight the winner of Deontay Wilder (L) and Tyson Fury (R) later this year
Eddie Hearn revealed he has already received a huge offer to stage those fights in Saudi Arabia
He added: ‘It will be better for me to fight fury or Wilder now before they took a loss. In a weird way losing does something to you and the experience of going through it can bring out the best in you. A fight with the winner will happen for sure.’
Joshua’s promoter Hearn revealed this week that they have received a ‘huge site offer’ to stage AJ against Fury or Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
‘We have a big option there,’ Hearn told Sky Sports. ‘We have a partnership out there in Saudi Arabia.
‘They put the money up for the Andy Ruiz fight. Everything they promised, they delivered. They want this fight bad and when they’ve got that kind of attitude and mentality, it’s going to be difficult to beat.
