Who will Anthony Joshua fight next?

The 34-year-old heavyweight is on the comeback trail after losing to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in August 2022.

Since then Joshua has collect four wins on the bounce, including wiping out former UFC champion Francis Ngannou inside two rounds in Riyadh in March this year.

Fury or Usyk

This weekend’s Usyk v Fury world title fight will have many hoping that the winner takes on Joshua. However, the duo have a rematch clause so an immediate bout seems unlikely, unless Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh throws in a step-aside fee.

The clamour for Fury vs Joshua is huge, but there is less appetite for a third match against Usyk. The second half of this year is likely to be a rematch between Fury and Usyk, so Joshua won’t be facing either of those boxers until 2025, if at all.

The June 1st card in Saudi Arabia will mostly likely reveal the identity of Joshua's next opponent.

That bill sees Filip Hrgovic take on Daniel Dubois and Deontay Wilder face Zhilei Zhang. Whoever puts in the best performance is scheduled to head to London and meet Joshua at Wembley in September.

Whoever the opponent it will be a step up for Joshua, who has beaten credible opposition recently but none were in title contention.

Dubois or Hrgovic

If the Usyk v Fury rematch goes ahead, that will likely lead to the IBF version of the title being vacated. According to UK bookies listed, Hrgovic is the current mandatory challenger for that title and that will be on the line against Dubois in June.

Joshua has made it clear that he’d be up for a fight for a vacant IBF title, the first heavyweight belt he won after beating Charles Martin back in 2015.

Hrgovic is unbeaten in his 17 professional fights, but his most recent opponents haven't really been up to scratch while he treads water waiting as he waits for another crack at the world title. His last fight in December 2023 took him just 106 seconds to beat Australian Mark de Mori.

His only notable opponent has been Zhang who Hrgovic defeated on points in August 2022. All three judges gave the Croatian the verdict but there were plenty at ringside who disputed the result.

June sees Hrgovic take on former regular WBA heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who most recently ended the unbeaten record of Jarrell Miller in December 2023, which followed a controversial title challenge defeat against Usyk.

Dubois certainly has the punching power to cause an upset, though bookmakers have Hrgovic as the favourite.

Joshua vs. Dubois would be an all-English battle, but not on the same level as a long-awaited fight with Fury. However, if the IBF title was on the line, it would certainly make the potential bout a lot more interesting.