Anthony Joshua has been offered a warm-up fight before Tyson Fury as a part of a two fight deal by Turki Al-Sheikh, who could he face?
We saw Tyson Fury (35-2-1, 24ko’s) and Anthony Joshua (29-4, 27ko’s) exchange words on Saturday night.
It seems all roads are leading towards the biggest fight in British boxing history, but we’re not there yet.
Initially, plans were set for this fight to take place in the summer, with both Croke Park and Wembley Stadium rumoured.
The Gypsy King was calling for the fight next, along with a barrage of insults aimed at the man from Watford.
Understandably, after the tragic events involving Anthony Joshua in Nigeria, the dates are not quite aligning.
AJ has and still is recovering physically and mentally from a car crash where his close friends Latz and Sina lost their lives.
Fury had his so called ‘warm-up’ fight on Saturday with a shutout points victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov (21-3, 19ko’s).
Similarly, team Joshua want their own tune up.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed to IFL TV that Turki Al-Sheikh has offered Joshua a two fight deal.
The first fight will be this tune up fight with a summer date targeted, before a long-awaited clash with the Gypsy King later this year.
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn suggested the opponent will be of a similar level to Arslanbek Makhmhudov.
These are five potential opponents for the two time unified heavyweight champion in preparation for Tyson Fury.
1. Dillian Whyte (31-4, 21ko’s)
The Body Snatcher is a long-term rival of Joshua’s.
Whyte and Joshua have met twice before, one in the amateurs and a memorable night at the O2 Arena in 2015.
His last outing ended in a first round defeat to rising star Moses Itauma (14-0, 12ko’s).
But the man from Brixton was in and around last weeks Ring Magazine show, and publicly declared his desire to continue fighting at 38 years old.
The narrative sells itself, genuine bad blood.
Many believe Whyte is way past his best, could this be next for AJ?
2. Lenier Pero (13-0, 8ko’s)
A Cuban southpaw with an unbeaten record may seem like a banana skin for Joshua.
However, firstly Joshua has had a lot of southpaw experience over his career.
Fury switches stances frequently, therefore that could be valuable preparation.
Additionally, Pero headlines a Matchroom Boxing event this month against Jarrell Miller (27-1-2, 22ko’s).
It is an eliminator for Usyk’s world titles, this could boost the chances of a world title being on the line for Joshua vs Fury.
3. Kevin Lerena (31-4, 15ko’s)
Often seen as one of the heavyweight gatekeepers over recent years, Kevin Lerena went 10 rounds with WBC number one Lawrence Okolie (23-1, 17ko’s) in 2025.
The British fans know Lerena, who has also shared a ring with Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21ko’s) and Justis Huni (13-1, 7ko’s).
Previously a cruiserweight, Lerena stands at just 6″1, the southpaw has a bridgerweight contest scheduled for May 30 against Ryad Murphy (35-3, 29ko’s).
A completely different fighter to Fury in terms of stature, but most certainly likely to be the level of fighter for Joshua’s first fight since knocking out Jake Paul (12-2, 7ko’s).
4. Guido Vianello (14-3-1, 12ko’s)
A man that did what Fury could not, and that is stop Arslanbek Makhmudov.
This is somewhat of a riskier choice for AJ.
The 6″6 Italian was set to face Martin Bakole in May, but with the fight falling through, could his luck be about to change?
Similarly to Fury, Vianello is managed by Spencer Brown.
Nicknamed ‘the Gladiator’, Vianello’s most recent defeat came to Richard Torrez Jr via unanimous decision.
He’s durable and can punch, it’s risky but it could be a valuable test in preparation for the biggest fight in British boxing history.
5. Kem Ljungquist (21-1, 14ko’s)
A 6″7 southpaw from Denmark, Ljungquist won the EBU silver heavyweight title last time out.
The former IBF international champion’s only major step up in a 9 year professional career ended in a knockout defeat to WBA regular champion Murat Gassiev (33-2, 26ko’s).
Similarly to Makhmudov, Ljungquist looks the part from a stature viewpoint.
However, should Anthony Joshua be firing on all cylinders after a full camp with team Usyk, he should make easy work of the Dane, subsequently setting up the fight we have all been waiting for.
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