Joshua Keen On Parker Rematch But World Title Comes First

Anthony Joshua is beginning to look like the AJ of old in many respects. In his last two fights, he’s looked more confident than he has been for a long time and boxed in the way that appears to suit him. But with the undisputed heavyweight bout between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury set to take place imminently, it’s left many wondering who Joshua will fight in the meantime, with former foe Joseph Parker throwing his name into the mix.

According to betting markets online, it’s impossible to split Usyk and Fury, and therein lies the problem. The two undefeated heavyweights clash with a rematch clause in place, which means there will be a second meeting between the pair after the first. Of course, Joshua would be keen on fighting the winner of the first fight, but with it likely the Watford-born star has to wait, it appears as though his future, at least temporarily, is elsewhere.

The immediate likely scenario is that following the first undisputed bout, which takes place on May 18 in Saudi Arabia, the IBF heavyweight belt will be vacated, effectively meaning it’s up for grabs. Joshua fighting for this belt, which was the first world title he won as a professional when he knocked out Charles Martin at the O2 Arena in round two, makes a lot of sense, and will likely be his next fight. But even after that, Usyk and Fury will still likely be tied up, and this is where a rematch with Joseph Parker could come into play.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed in recent interviews that a rematch between the pair could happen after Parker posted a humorous call-out video on social media. Joshua and Parker first met in 2018 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, where the former won by unanimous decision, taking away with him the latter’s WBO world title. Since then, Parker hasn’t really hit the heights, but a recent resurgence under trainer Andy Lee has seen the New Zealander defeat both Deontay Wilder and Zhilei Zhang, putting him back in contention.

Like Parker, Joshua is also enjoying a new lease of life, this time under trainer Ben Davison, who is the former trainer of Parker’s ally and WBC heavyweight champion Fury. So, the next step could be for AJ to fight for the IBF before a rematch with Parker in a voluntary defence where the belt would be on the line. If victorious in both bouts, it would open the door to a third encounter with Usyk or the biggest fight in heavyweight and British boxing against Fury.

There was talk that if Fury was to win the first undisputed fight on May 18, that step-aside money could be offered to Usyk to allow Joshua and the Gypsy King to do battle, potentially in September. But after Furty’s recent press conference, it now seems almost certain that whatever the outcome on May 18, there will be a rematch, and Joshua will head down the IBF route.