Who Anthony Joshua could fight next? Tyson Fury, Rico Verhoeven, Martin Bakole and Efe Ajagba all in contention after Jake Paul stoppage
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Published 20/12/2025 at 15:11 GMT
Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has reignited his war of words with Tyson Fury, calling out the Gypsy King to finally meet him after years of speculation. Joshua made light work of Jake Paul, forcing a sixth-round stoppage before turning his focus on restoring order at heavyweight summit and confronting the British rival who has long-defined the unanswered question of his career.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Anthony Joshua wasted no time steering the conversation away from the novelty of defeating Jake Paul and back toward legacy as he called out Tyson Fury to finally meet him in the ring.
Moments after the sixth-round stoppage in Miami of Paul, who later drove himself to hospital with a broken jaw, Joshua made clear his sights were set far beyond crossover events - and squarely on Fury.
The Kaseya Center hosted a bout promoted as a global showcase in which Joshua floored Paul four times, asserting control in a contest that followed a familiar pattern from the opening bell.
Yet the former two-time unified champion offered no self-congratulation when it was over, choosing instead to critique his own work and outline his intentions.
"It wasn’t the best performance," Joshua said. "The end goal was to get Jake Paul, pin him down, and hurt him. That has been the request leading up, and that’s what was on my mind. It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination."
While the outcome was one-sided, Joshua was careful to acknowledge the durability of an opponent who repeatedly beat the count.
"Jake Paul, he’s done really well tonight, he added. "I want to give him his props. He got up time and time again. It was difficult in there for him, but he kept on trying to find a way.
"It takes a real man to do that. Anyone who laces up these gloves, we always say, we give them our respect. We have to give Jake his respect for trying and trying and trying. Well done."
Respect, however, did not blur Joshua’s view of what the fight ultimately represented. To him, it was a reminder of levels - and a re-entry point after time away.
"He came up against a real fighter tonight that’s had a 15-month layoff," he said. "We shook off the cobwebs, and I can’t wait to roll into 2026."
Joshua treated the night as a line drawn under an experiment. With the spectacle complete and the result emphatic, his focus shifted decisively upward - toward restoring order at heavyweight’s summit and confronting the rival who has long defined the unanswered question of his career.
Joshua used the post-fight platform to reignite talk of a long-discussed showdown with Fury, delivering a direct and unfiltered invitation.
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"If Tyson Fury is as serious as he thinks he is, and he wants to put down his Twitter fingers and put on some gloves and come and fight one of the realest fighters out there that will take on any challenge, step into the ring with me next if you’re a real bad boy," Joshua said.
"Don’t do all that talking: ‘AJ this, AJ that’. Let’s see you in the ring and talk with your fists."
Speaking later at a post-fight news conference, Joshua imitated Fury when asked if he would welcome fighting his British rival next.
"I give the dosser eight weeks; 24 hours to sign a contract. Let's see if he is a man. Greedy belly!"
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A fight with Tyson Fury would be extremely lucrative
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Paul, despite the heavy defeat and the injury he later confirmed, struck a markedly different tone. Rather than dwelling on the damage, he framed the night as an experience to be embraced.
"I’m feeling good. That was fun," Paul said. "I love this sport. I gave it my all. It’s f****** crazy. I had a blast. Anthony’s a great fighter. I got my a*** beat, but that’s what this sport’s about."
The extent of Paul’s injuries became clear during his post-fight remarks, delivered after he was seen spitting blood.
"I think my jaw is broken, by the way," he said. "It’s definitely broken. A nice little a***-whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this s***, and I’m going to come back and keep on winning."
Paul himself framed the loss as a footnote in a much bigger personal narrative.
"Man, I’ve already won in every single way in life," he said. "My family, my beautiful fiancee [Dutch speedskating star Jutta Leerdam]. This sport has helped me so much in my life. I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point."
Who could Anthony Joshua fight next?
Jake Paul II
A money-spinning rematch might not be a crazy idea. This was the first time that Paul had fought a truly credible opponent, and he managed to squeeze out enough rounds to, theoretically, entertain a crowd.
A one-sided defeat, though, might have curtailed interest in the pair of them running it back, and a double-fracture to his jaw could see him out of the ring for the next year while he heals up. Unlikely, but you can’t rule anything out.
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Highlights: Usyk beats Fury by unanimous decision to retain titles after engrossing fight
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Martin Bakole/Efe Ajagba
The experienced and entertaining Congolese heavyweight Martin Bakole impressed in August last year when he KO'd Jared Anderson, but then had a second-round knockout defeat against the New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker in February this year. He returned to action in May in Saudi Arabia, and drew with Efe Ajagba in an exacting match-up.
Ajagba had been on a five-win streak until that result, and both he and Bakole were namechecked by Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn earlier in the year.
Hearn considered both heavyweights as the kind of opponent who would allow Joshua to tune-up ahead of a summer megafight.
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‘Maybe he’s had enough’ - Hearn on Fury retirement and potential Joshua fight
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Tyson Fury
That megafight would be against former unified heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Fury was once considered the very best in the division, and such claims might well have been true at a time after his three-fight epic against the Bronze Bomber, Deontay Wilder.
However, that reputation was harmed by Ukrainian pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk, who battled to a thrilling win in their first fight, before an easier, studied victory in the rematch.
Fury has done little to suggest he is ready for a serious crack at a return, but has continued to goad Joshua as he has done for most of the last seven or eight years. A fight between these two was regularly mooted as the biggest possible fight in British boxing. That is probably still true, but next summer is likely to be the last chance to make a compelling fight before the veterans start to lose their lustre at the box office.
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Highlights: Usyk defeats Fury to become undisputed heavyweight champion
Video credit: TNT Sports
Rico Verhoeven
Another name from left-field is Rico Verhoeven, the professional kickboxer. While he boxed professionally, he made his name as a kickboxer, and had been rumoured as a potential opponent for Joshua next February.
Hearn failed to explicitly knock back the idea at a post-fight press conference, but there must be a suspicion that two novelty fights for Joshua would rule him out as a serious fighter in the division, and fail to offer real preparation for any Fury clash.
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