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Boxing tips

What's next for Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte?

Heavyweight boxing contenders scramble to secure 2019 fights

Anthony Joshua (right) throws a punch at Dillian Whyte during their fight in 2015
Anthony Joshua (right) throws a punch at Dillian Whyte during their fight in 2015Credit: Leigh Dawney

Heavyweight boxing is enjoying a renaissance with Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Dillian Whyte providing a level of interest not seen since the days of Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis, but what happens in 2019 is still up in the air.

Joshua has Wembley Stadium reserved for a fight on April 13 but that date looks likely to be scrapped due to the lack of a creditable opponent.

AJ was hoping to take on the winner of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, but they look set for a rematch after their controversial draw in the US in December, when Fury got up after a 12th-round knockdown in one of the most iconic moments in modern heavyweight history.

Wilder retained his WBC belt, and the WBC have ordered a rematch with negotiations reportedly at an advanced stage. Fury is around 4-6 to win if the pair fight again, but Wilder is likely to have a clause for another rematch if Fury beats him.

So with Fury and Wilder seemingly out of the equation, Joshua turned to Dillian Whyte, who has won 25 of 26 professional fights, his only defeat coming against AJ in 2015 when Whyte rocked the 2012 Olympic champion before Joshua came back to win via KO in round seven.

But despite both men being promoted by Eddie Hearn, Whyte rejected the terms offered to fight Joshua and is reportedly looking at facing American Dominic Breazeale, who is the mandatory challenger to Wilder's WBC belt.

Joshua is now reportedly in advanced talks to face Brooklyn's Jarrell 'Big Baby' Miller at New York's Madison Square Garden in June, which would be his debut on US soil.

Bookmakers see it as an easy win for AJ, with several firms offering 9-2 against Miller despite it being in his own backyard - Whyte would be a 10-3 shot to beat Joshua, with Wilder around 7-4 and Fury 11-10.


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