Usyk, Fury, Whyte: Five potential opponents Anthony Joshua could face next
AJ seems certain he'll rematch Oleksandr Usyk next year but if not, who are the other options?
Anthony Joshua has signalled his intention to trigger his rematch clause against Oleksandr Usyk, who succeeded the Briton as the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight champion after a unanimous decision win in September.
Oleksandr Usyk - almost certainly
Joshua suffered just the second loss of a 26-fight professional career to a fighter who won London 2012 gold the day before and in the division below he did.
Joshua was upbeat despite the defeat, promising to learn lessons and come back stronger in the return bout. Usyk would love that to be in Ukraine and although Eddie Hearn scotched the idea on financial grounds, it seems unlikely to scupper anything.
Dillian Whyte - improbable
The pair go way back and can barely conceal their antipathy toward one another. Whyte drew first blood in 2009 when the pair were still raw amateurs but Joshua had the higher-profile win when they met as professionals in December 2015.
Whyte faces Otto Wallin on October 30 and will be targeting Tyson Fury after that but would need little persuasion if the Joshua fight became available.