A long-awaited Anthony Joshua comeback is what fans have been craving. And it looks like 2025 could finally deliver. However, the dream showdown with Tyson Fury may remain just that: a dream. Since announcing his retirement in January, Fury appears fully committed to life outside the ring. He’s been busy promoting his sports nutrition brand, FUROCITY, and just hours ago, he revealed filming had begun for the second season of his hit Netflix docuseries At Home with the Furys, which debuted in 2023 and quickly climbed to the platform’s top spot. With no signs of a return to boxing, Fury seems content in retirement, leaving Anthony Joshua searching for new opponents.
Fortunately, it seems Anthony Joshua has options. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, recently confirmed that AJ is in talks for a two-fight deal with HE Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season. The names being discussed? Jared Anderson and Dillian Whyte. Once hailed as the future of the division, Anderson suffered a brutal fifth-round KO loss to Martin Bakole last August, denting his momentum. Meanwhile, Whyte, now 37, has racked up three consecutive wins since his 2022 defeat to Fury and is set to return this weekend on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs. Justis Huni in Ipswich. So the question remains: apart from the two names, who else is the perfect name for Anthony Joshua to face next as he looks to reclaim his place at the top?
Just hours ago, Seconds Out released a headline-grabbing clip of promoter Frank Warren discussing Anthony Joshua’s future. The video, boldly captioned “ Anthony Joshua vs Moses Itauma NEXT?!” shows Warren confidently stating “Yeah,” when asked if he’d put the rising 20-year-old heavyweight Moses Itauma in the ring with Anthony Joshua right now.
Itauma, who began 2025 with an emphatic second-round TKO win over 41-year-old Mike Balogun on May 24, has quickly emerged as one of the most exciting young prospects in the division. And a win over a former two-time unified heavyweight champion like Anthony Joshua would immediately catapult his profile into the elite ranks. Seeing that opportunity, the 20-year-old’s promoter, Warren, made sure to publicly float the idea, planting a seed that could gain traction if the timing is right.
However, Frank Warren pointed out, the logistics aren’t so simple. Both Moses Itauma and Fabio Wardley train under the same coach, Ben Davison, a situation that complicates any potential matchup between the gym-mates. “That’s the problem,” Warren admitted. “Ben trains both of them. That’s probably why it would never happen.” Still, he made it clear that in an ideal world, he’d love to make that fight happen, noting the quality of all the British heavyweights in the mix. As for the 35-year-old, Warren emphasized the high stakes surrounding AJ’s next move: “He’s fighting for his career, he can’t afford another loss. He is fighting. Fighting to stay to get back on the top table.”
With names like Fabio Wardley, Derek Chisora, and Moses Itauma floating around, it’s clear there’s no shortage of options. But also no room for missteps as Anthony Joshua looks to reassert himself among boxing’s heavyweight elite. So, if a showdown with Anthony Joshua isn’t on the cards just yet for Moses Itauma, who might be the rising heavyweight face on July 19 at Wembley Stadium on the undercard of the highly anticipated clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois? Let’s take a closer look.
Moses Itauma could face Anthony Joshua’s tough American rival
Moses Itauma continues to build serious momentum in the heavyweight division, with his last eight opponents all failing to make it past the second round. With dominant wins over the likes of Mariusz Wach and Demsey McKean, Itauma has only needed 11 rounds to dispatch those last eight challengers. However, despite this fast-tracked path, the 20-year-old prodigy has admitted he needs more rounds under his belt before stepping into the ring with elite names like Filip Hrgović or Martin Bakole, though he remains confident in his ability to eventually beat them.
Recently, one name has gained traction on social media as a potential next step for Itauma. Jermaine Franklin. During a podcast with boxing journalist Gareth A. Davies, pundit Ade Oladipo suggested Franklin as the perfect test for the young Brit. “It’s someone that we’ve seen go the distance with AJ, some say he beat Dillian Whyte, he’s only lost twice, he’s a massive step up from Mike Balogun and Demsey McKean,” Oladipo said. Indeed, Franklin lost a close decision to Whyte in 2022 and went the full 12 rounds with Anthony Joshua in 2023. He may not be a knockout artist, but he’s durable, seasoned, and capable of pushing Itauma beyond the early rounds he’s grown accustomed to.
With that said, who do you think Moses Itauma’s next opponent will be? And if he were to face Anthony Joshua, who do you think comes out on top?
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