After losing to Oleksandr Usyk, there are still a number of options out there for Anthony Joshua, but the man he wants to fight is Dillian Whyte.

Joshua is now without any heavyweight world title belts after suffering back-to-back losses against Usyk, with the most recent of those defeats coming earlier this month in Saudi Arabia.

Joshua had Usyk hurt during the ninth round of their fight, but ultimately it was the Ukrainian who emerged victoriousMark Robinson/MatchroomAnd now Joshua wants to bounce back against WhyteMark Robinson/Matchroom

Now it is time for the Brit to rebuild and that process will begin in December, as both Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn, have said he will be back in the ring later this year.

“Trust me,” Hearn told IFL TV. “The worst thing for AJ now is to go and have a huge spell of inactivity.

“Physically he wants to fight, mentally he’s getting over the defeat, but he still has four or five weeks until he has to get back into camp.

“He wants to be active and the only person who will make a decision about him fighting in December is him. From my side it’s if he feels he’s ready, I think it’s a good idea.

“Every conversation from yesterday was that we’re going in December.”

In terms of an opponent, Hearn has insisted that he will not be taking an easy touch to return and Joshua will fight a top 15 ranked heavyweight.

Whyte beat Joshua in the amateurs, but the two-time heavyweight champ got his revenge in the pro’sGetty Images – Getty

Afterwards, however, is when the real challenges come and Hearn has revealed that top of their list is a rematch with Dillian Whyte, who is also coming off the back of a loss, having been knocked out by Tyson Fury at Wembley Stadium earlier this year.

“The fight that I want and the fight that he wants is Dillian Whyte, that’s the biggest fight,” Hearn said.

“It’s not going to happen in December, but it’s a massive stadium fight next year.

“The first one was epic and the second one will be even better.”

Joshua and Whyte first met in 2015 before either man had even had a shot at a world title and it was the man from Watford who came out on top, scoring a seventh round knockout.

This time, however, both men are much improved and more experienced, so it should make for an intriguing match up.

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