Anthony Joshua is in line for an undisputed heavyweight showdown in opposition to both Tyson Fury or Oleksandr Usyk on the finish of 2024.
That’s in accordance with talkSPORT host Adam Catterall, who believes a win for AJ in opposition to Francis Ngannou can arrange yet one more battle for all 4 belts.
The 34-year-old will face the ex-UFC heavyweight champion in Saudi Arabia in a ten-round affair – broadly anticipated to happen on March 9.
Their dust-up will happen simply three weeks after WBC king Fury and WBA, WBO and IBF holder Usyk commerce blows of their quest to turn out to be the primary undisputed heavyweight champ since Lennox Lewis in 1999.
It’s understood that there’s a rematch clause contracted, which is able to seemingly see the IBF belt turn out to be vacant.
Ought to that occur, then Joshua – offering he overcomes Fury’s former foe Ngannou – would seemingly tackle the IBF’s obligatory challenger Filip Hrgovic in the summertime.
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That might coincide with the rematch between Usyk and Fury, with AJ to then doubtlessly arrange a blockbuster bout in opposition to one of many males later this 12 months.
Ought to Usyk beat Fury, Joshua would have the prospect to avenge his two defeats by the hands of the unbeaten Ukrainian, or he may lastly safe a match-up in opposition to his British rival.
The prospect of a second undisputed heavyweight affair in 2024 left Catterall drooling following the announcement of Joshua and Ngannou‘s scrap.
Talking on the Sports activities Bar Weekender alongside Carlton Cole, he stated: “Anthony Joshua’s noise has been, ‘I need to be a three-time heavyweight champion’.
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“There’s the probability that can occur in 2024 due to the politics of the sport.
“The IBF belt that’s related to Fury vs Usyk will turn out to be vacant after that battle, how shortly it turns into vacant, no one is aware of.
“Will or not it’s vacant by the point we get to March? I do not know, perhaps, perhaps not.”
He continued: “If the Anthony Joshua that turned up in opposition to Otto Wallin [knockout win] on December 23 turns up on March 9 in opposition to Francis Ngannou, he’ll beat him.
“Subsequently, that creates momentum pushing us ahead in direction of a super-fight that we have all been dreaming about on the finish of the 12 months.
“As a result of what’s going to occur is that AJ will beat Ngannou on March 9, he’ll then propel himself right into a summer season showdown with Filip Hrgovic for a vacant IBF world title, he’ll win that.
“After which on the finish of the 12 months, the winner of the Fury vs Usyk state of affairs will maintain three of the championship belts – AJ may have the opposite one.
“Do you need to do one other undisputed battle on the finish of the 12 months?
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“If it is Tyson Fury – the person that he needs – that’s holding the belts, him vs Anthony Joshua rapidly turns into the largest battle of a technology.
“That’s how that is going to play out, that’s how I feel this now navigates itself.”
Catterall concluded: “As a result of the sport has fully modified over the past six months, it has arrange an ideal narrative for Joshua to go and do what Tyson Fury could not do [stop Ngannou].
“And level himself within the path of turning into a world champion once more of which then units himself up a showdown with Fury on the finish of the 12 months for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world.”
