Sport

About one week after Anthony Joshua defeated Joseph Parker in a unification bout held in Principality Stadium, Cardiff, his promoter, Eddie Hearn has revealed his next likely opponent.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Hearn said Joshua's next fight is 'very likely' to be against Deontay Wilder or Alexander Povetkin.

According to him, negotiations have started for a world title fight between unified champion Joshua and WBC king Wilder, but the WBA have now ordered the British star to negotiate a mandatory title defence against Povetkin within the next 30 days.

A rematch between Kazakhstan’s world middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez scheduled for May 5 has been cancelled following the Mexican’s positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol, fight promoters said on Tuesday. Álvarez, who blamed contaminated beef that he consumed in Mexico for the test result, withdrew from the fight after being temporarily suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission less than two weeks ago for failing the test.

America’s WBC heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder says he is willing to face Anthony Joshua in Britain in a fight for the undisputed crown. Briton Joshua (21-0) collected his fourth world heavyweight title belt on Saturday when he defeated Joseph Parker in Cardiff and then challenged Wilder (40-0) to a fight in Britain.

Promoter, Eddie Hearn has said Dillian Whyte and Kubrat Pulev have been instructed to fight by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).

According to Sky Sports, Hearn revealed the news on Monday night on social media by tweeting he had received "a letter from the IBF ordering a final eliminator for the mandatory position between heavyweights Whyte and Pulev. Interesting times for the division!"

According to the report, the bout involving Pulev and Whyte would be a showdown that could lead to the winner becoming the next mandatory challenger to Anthony Joshua's IBF belt.

Heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder looms as the obvious opponent for Anthony Joshua should Joshua unify three belts against Joseph Parker on Saturday (Showtime, 5 p.m. ET) at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

However, Wilder, who had been hired by host broadcaster Sky Sports to work as a pundit on the pay-per-view telecast in the United Kingdom, elected to not make the trip overseas. Instead, he spent part of this week in New York making media appearances, one of which came on The Breakfast Club morning show on Power 105.1 FM.

"I want a body on my record. I want one. I want one, I really do. That's the 'Bronze Bomber,' he wants one. I always tell people, when I'm in the ring, like I'm the 'Bronze Bomber.' Everything about me changes. I don't get nervous, I don't get scared, I don't get butterflies, I don't have no feelings towards the man I'm gonna fight."

Anthony Joshua unified the WBA, IBF and WBO world heavyweight titles with a controlled performance in a unanimous points win over Joseph Parker at a tense Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

The Briton, 28, used his left hand to telling effect throughout an intriguing affair, in which New Zealand's Parker displayed swift hands, movement and impressive durability.

But his WBO title always looked like it would end up round Joshua's waist as a significant points gap opened up, with the favourite landing a hard left uppercut in round eight and two stinging left hooks early in the 10th.

Parker tagged his rival to howls of concern in the 11th and he deserves immense respect for becoming the first man to take Joshua to the scorecards, which read 118-110 118-110 119-109.