Fury? Whyte? Wilder? What’s next for Joshua?

It wasn’t vintage Anthony Joshua, but it was job done.

That wasn’t to be – a tentative Joshua won by a unanimous points decision, but his American opponent proved to be a tougher test than many expected.

This was Joshua’s first fight under new trainer Derrick James, though, and the duo now have more time to gel.

Promoter Eddie Hearn expects Joshua, 33, to fight twice more in 2023 – once in the summer, then in December – so what’s next for the English fighter?

Will we finally see Joshua-Fury?

After beating Franklin, Joshua – predictably – was asked whether he was willing to face fellow Briton Tyson Fury – the WBC champion.

“That’s the pot of gold,” he said. “The WBC heavyweight champion of the world. That’s what it’s about.

“If the coach and team say it’s a good opportunity, I’d take it with both hands. The boxing world needs it.”

We have been here before. The two biggest names in British boxing have twice been close to agreeing a blockbuster fight, only fall for it to fall through.

It was all but agreed in August 2020, set to take place in Saudi Arabia, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Fury to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight.

Then, towards the end of last year, a deadline imposed by Fury was not met by challenger Joshua. Fury instead faced Derek Chisora in December.

Boxing’s credibility wanes when big fights don’t happen – as it did when Fury and Oleksandr Usyk recently failed to agree terms for a historic undisputed clash – the first in a four-belt era. Fury, 34, and Joshua have an opportunity to pay the fans back – and, it must be said, earn a huge amount of money.

For the fight to happen, rival promoters and broadcasters would need to work together – and Fury and Joshua would need to make some compromises – but Hearn believes it could be next in line.

“That fight is all about timing,” he said. “How long do you wait? If it’s there, it would be difficult not to take.”

Joshua’s only other opportunity to challenge to a world title would be against unified champion Usyk, but having been outclassed in consecutive losses to the Ukrainian, there is little appetite for a trilogy.

Joshua-Wilder is massive – Hearn

If you want guaranteed entertainment, and the best chance of a knockout, Joshua v Wilder is the one to look out for.

The fight could have happened in 2019, when they held all four titles between them and were looking invincible, but – once again – boxing politics, egos and a dispute over finances got in the way.

Without belts to defend or mandatory challengers to oblige – and both boxers no longer having undefeated records to protect – it may now be easier to negotiate a deal.

American Wilder is one of the most devastating punchers in history. The 37-year-old would come to fight, which is perhaps what Joshua needs in an opponent.

“It’s a massive fight,” Hearn said. “Franklin was Joshua’s first fight under a new trainer. The more fights he has under this trainer, the better he will be – but the public isn’t that patient.”

With Usyk and Fury widely considered the world’s two best heavyweights, Joshua and Wilder could battle it out for ‘bronze’, with the winner offered a shot at recapturing a world title.

Nobody wants to fight Joyce – Frampton

Briton Joe Joyce is the number one challenger for Usyk’s WBO belt, and a serious contender in the heavyweight division.

Joyce, 37, faces China’s Zhilei Zhang in London on 15 April and has said he would be willing to face Joshua if he wins.

The two know each other well from their time together in the Team GB set-up, and Hearn said his fighter would welcome the match-up.

“Joyce is a good fight,” Hearn said. “It’s not as big or quite as tough as Fury or Wilder, but still a tough fight.

“They’ve sparred thousands of rounds together and AJ is very confident he’d win.”

Joyce has a granite chin and can bulldoze his way through opponents. After a stellar amateur career – in which he won silver at the 2016 Olympics – the man known as ‘Juggernaut’ has won British, Commonwealth and European titles.

He has won all 15 fights, with 14 knockouts, beating the likes of former world champion Joseph Parker, WBA ‘Regular’ champion Daniel Dubois and world-title challenger Carlos Takam.

Two-weight world champion Carl Frampton said Joyce was “the guy nobody really wants to fight”.

He added: “He’s a horrible night’s work for anybody. He gives all the guys, everybody at the top of the tree, problems. Including Fury, Usyk and AJ.”

Unfinished business with Whyte?

These two have history.

The rivalry between Joshua and Whyte, 34, dates back to their amateur days, when the ‘Bodysnatcher’ beat Joshua in 2009.

The bad blood continued into their professional careers, and Joshua stopped his old foe with a seventh-round stoppage in a terrific contest.

“I want a chance to redeem myself,” Whyte said on Saturday. “He keeps playing the video of him knocking me out years and years ago. I want revenge.”

He also publicly questioned Joshua’s desire.

Whyte is a throwback fighter. A brawler. He also beat Franklin on points in November, albeit not as convincingly.

Outside of the ring, the two Britons are strikingly different characters. Joshua’s measured, often philosophical, responses in interviews are in stark contrast to Whyte’s no-nonsense approach.

Joshua-Whyte II could be marketed for a stadium fight, though Hearn has not ruled a return to the O2 Arena.

“Do you go for a stadium or put in the O2 Arena,” he said. “When you get ticket prices right in the O2, we’ve seen with the UFC recently, sometimes it’s more economic to do it there.”

Another rebuilding job?

All of that said, an elite-level heavyweight may not be the most appropriate opponent for Joshua at this stage.

It may be he needs someone at a similar level to Franklin, and not necessarily one who would appease the paying public.

When Joshua was putting away opponents inside the distance, fans were guaranteed entertainment. But with his latest performance – and a conscious effort to not be reckless – his popularity and the ability to sell out arenas against fringe-level contenders may have waned.

“It’s difficult to have those fights and drive the same interest,” Hearn said. “What might be great for the development of your career might not be for the commercial numbers. You have to get the balance right.”

Whichever route Joshua decides to go down, he has options. Few fighters would refuse a big payday against the two-time world champion, and many will fancy their chances.