Joshua promoter aims at Wilder, Parker in 2018
CARDIFF: Anthony Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn wants to take the world heavyweight champion overseas after his 10th round win over Carlos Takam on Saturday.
Joshua retained his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association heavyweight titles after stopping Takam at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
All of Joshua’s 20 professional fights have ended inside the distance and have all been in Britain.
“I would like him to box three times in 2018,” Hearn told reporters. “He doesn’t have to, it’s down to Anthony. We may have a mandatory (defence) with the WBA which is unclear at the moment.
“There’s (WBO champion) Joseph Parker, there’s (WBC champion) Deontay Wilder.
“I would like him to have an international fight in 2018, but it does seem a shame to leave all this.
American Wilder defends his World Boxing Council belt against Haiti’s Bermane Stiverne on Nov 4
Joshua, 28, says he does not mind who he fights — Wilder, New Zealander Parker or a mandatory challenger — so long as he is retains the WBA and IBF belts.
Takam, 36, complained about the stoppage but will take a lot of credit after fighting on with impaired vision after being cut near his right eye in the fourth round where he also took a count.
Joshua, who paid tribute to his opponent for battling on despite the injury, said: “His eyes were nearly hanging off because the cut was deep, but he wanted to carry on and that’s the fighter’s instinct.”
One of Joshua’s former victims and another British fighter, Dillian Whyte, may get to Wilder before Joshua as he is ranked number three by the WBC.
Jamaica-born Whyte, whose only defeat in 23 fights was the seventh-round stoppage against Joshua almost two years ago, unanimously out-pointed Finland’s Robert Helenius on the undercard.