What's next for Anthony Joshua?

It wasn’t vintage Anthony Joshua, but it was job done.

Going into Saturday’s fight against Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena, boxing fans wondered whether the British heavyweight could wind back the years and deliver a clinical performance with a highlight-reel stoppage.

That wasn’t to be — a tentative Joshua won by a unanimous points decision, but his American opponent proved to be a tougher test than many expected.

This was Joshua’s first fight under new trainer Derrick James, though, and the duo now have more time to gel.

Promoter Eddie Hearn expects Joshua, 33, to fight twice more in 2023 — once in the summer, then in December — so what’s next for the English fighter?

Will we finally see Joshua-Fury?

After beating Franklin, Joshua — predictably — was asked whether he was willing to face fellow Briton Tyson Fury — the WBC champion.

“That’s the pot of gold,” he said. “The WBC heavyweight champion of the world. That’s what it’s about.

“If the coach and team say it’s a good opportunity, I’d take it with both hands. The boxing world needs it.”

We have been here before. The two biggest names in British boxing have twice been close to agreeing a blockbuster fight, only fall for it to fall through. It was all but agreed in August 2020, set to take place in Saudi Arabia, before the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered Fury to face Deontay Wilder in a trilogy fight.

Then, towards the end of last year, a deadline imposed by Fury was not met by challenger Joshua. Fury instead faced Derek Chisora in December.

Boxing’s credibility wanes when big fights don’t happen — as it did when Fury and Oleksandr Usyk recently failed to agree terms for a historic undisputed clash — the first in a four-belt era. Fury, 34, and Joshua have an opportunity to pay the fans back — and, it must be said, earn a huge amount of money.

For the fight to happen, rival promoters and broadcasters would need to work together — and Fury and Joshua would need to make some compromises — but Hearn believes it could be next in line.

“That fight is all about timing,” he said. “How long do you wait? If it’s there, it would be difficult not to take.”

Joshua’s only other opportunity to challenge to a world title would be against unified champion Usyk, but having been outclassed in consecutive losses to the Ukrainian, there is little appetite for a trilogy. — BBC Sport