Anthony Joshua is expected to have a busy 2023, climaxing with a fight against Tyson Fury.
'AJ' has been out of action since his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk last August in Saudi Arabia. Heading into the bout, Joshua felt confident as he had recently switched trainers. The British star wound up being coached by famed trainer Robert Garcia.
While he clearly made some improvements, it wasn't enough. Joshua came up short by split decision and moved to 0-2 in his series with 'The Cat'. However, the Brit wound up almost making a fast turnaround in December.
Tyson Fury was in talks to face Oleksandr Usyk last month, but talks fell through due to the latter suffering from an injury sustained in his August rematch. As a result, 'The Gypsy King' attempted to book a fight with Joshua, to no avail.
The WBC Heavyweight Champion wound up defeating Derek Chisora by knockout in December instead and set his sights on a clash with Usyk. The two heavyweight titleholders even had a face-off in the ring that quickly made headlines.
However, that begs the question, how does Anthony Joshua fit into this? Well, his promoter, Eddie Hearn, is expecting a busy year for the former champion. The year will include a rematch with Dillian Whyte and a showdown with Tyson Fury.
Before the former champion can get those matchups, however, he will have to defeat a top-15 opponent in April.
Did Anthony Joshua defeat Dillian Whyte?
Anthony Joshua knocked out Dillian Whyte in their December 2015 encounter.
At the time, 'AJ' and 'The Body Snatcher' were both undefeated British prospects, fighting over regional titles. While both men had high ceilings, very few likely would've predicted them to have the success they've had since then.
During their first matchup, Whyte came out swinging and rocked his opponent early. However, Joshua wound up surviving and scoring a seventh-round knockout victory.
Just one fight later, Anthony Joshua became a heavyweight champion for the first time by knocking out Charles Martin. Eight years after his first encounter with Dillian Whyte, it appears that the two will face off in a second clash this year.
'AJ' was even in attendance for his future opponent's latest fight against Jermaine Franklin last November. Joshua and Whyte shared a moment of respect following the matchup, setting the stage for their next fight in 2023.