Save the show, and see to it that a hard training camp doesn’t go to waste, or sit it out now and go into the big one with Deontay Wilder in January? This is the decision Anthony Joshua has to make due to his return fight with Dillian Whyte falling through due to the “adverse” findings in Whyte’s VADA sample.
With less than a week to go to fight night, Joshua and Eddie Hearn have some quick thinking to do. Some extremely quick thinking. The fans seem to be all over the place in terms of who they would like to see AJ fight should he adopt a ‘the show must go on’ attitude. Derek Chisora is acceptable in the eyes of some, not in the eyes of others. Filip Hrgovic, who like Chisora was to have fought on Saturday’s card, is the top pick in the opinion of some fans. Others like unbeaten southpaw Demsey McKean, who was down to fight Hrgovic on the O2 card.
There is some talk that Hasim Rahman Jr has been offered the Joshua fight, while Otto Wallin’s name has come up quite a bit. David Allen’s name has also cropped up, as has, get this…..Jarrell Miller’s name! But a good deal of fans feel Joshua should now sit out the remainder of the year and go straight into his big showdown with Deontay Wilder, which, though not official, has been spoken of for the Middle East in January.
We know Joshua has for some time now been a once-a-year guy, as in he fights once a year. So, as he’s used to this, it shouldn’t faze AJ if he does have just the one outing here in 2023. And let’s not forget, the Saudi moneymen didn’t want Joshua to risk it by fighting Whyte, or pretty much anybody, before the Wilder fight. It could be that the money men get what they wanted in the first place. And another thing to consider is this: the last time Joshua saw an opponent have to withdraw his services due to a dodgy drugs test (this being the aforementioned Miller) and then faced a late sub, he was sensationally KO’d by Andy Ruiz.
It can be extremely dangerous training for one guy and for one guy’s style and approach and then jumping in the ring with another fighter, one who has an entirely different style and approach. It would be disastrous for AJ if he did go ahead and fought a replacement next week and got beaten. Under such a scenario, not only would Joshua say goodbye to the Wilder fight, but he would very possibly have to retire from the sport.
Yes, it is indeed a tough decision Joshua/Hearn now have to make.
What would YOU prefer to see AJ do, and what would YOU do if you were in his shoes? The clock is ticking rapidly.