Eddie Hearn has insisted is not short of options for his next bout, even if remains retired.

In a stunning turn of events on Monday, Fury announced he was stepping away from boxing. The 'Gypsy King' chose to retire following his defeat in the rematch against Oleksandr Usyk last month in Riyadh. "Hi everybody, I'm going to make this short and sweet," Fury declared. "I'd like to announce my retirement from boxing, it has been a blast, I've loved every single minute of it and I'm going to end with this; Dick Turpin wore a mask."

This move by Fury scuppers any hopes for a much-anticipated all-British clash with Joshua. Nonetheless, speaking to The Sun, Joshua's promoter assured fans that 'AJ' has a wealth of potential contenders for his forthcoming fight. Among the names mentioned are Martin Bakole, Dillian Whyte, Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, Agit Kabayel, Daniel Dubois, and Joseph Parker. Joshua suffered a knockout at the hands of Dubois in their September showdown.Since then, 'Triple D' has expressed interest in a rematch with 'AJ', which seemed set for February. However, Hearn has indicated that Joshua isn't ready for the rematch just yet due to minor injuries sustained in their initial encounter.

Dubois is now set to clash with Parker in Riyadh on February 22 in a much-anticipated duel. This heavyweight encounter has the potential to pave the way for one of them to face Joshua next. Post their 2018 match-up, Parker would relish the chance to even the score with 'AJ' should he prevail against 'Triple D'. Meanwhile, Bakole issued a blistering challenge to Joshua and is now seen as a possible opponent for the Watford-born pugilist.

The two have sparred previously, and at 31, Bakole cements his top-contender status after defeating Jared Anderson. He taunted Joshua, saying: "Anthony Joshua, I called you out. I wanted to knock you out," and "Now you're talking s**** to say Ajagba is going to beat me. "Shame on you. How many times did I call you out? How many times did I ask you to fight in Africa? You should be ashamed of yourself. I want to fight you. I want to knock you out. Look at Daniel Dubois, I broke his nose twice. He knocked you out cold. If you fight me, I'll knock you out in the first round.

"You're talking about Ajagba. Ajagba is a baby. Wait till you see how I knock him out. I invite you to be there. You're talking s***. I want to fight you. Stop talking nonsense. Now you're saying you're Nigerian. You're not British anymore? I'll knock you out. I'm an African giant. I'm an African warrior. After knocking out Ajagba, I will knock you out as well."

A rematch with Whyte could be on the cards, as boxing enthusiasts believe it would be the ideal warm-up fight before taking on the division's top stars. A match with Wilder would be fascinating given their long-standing feud. 'The Bronze Bomber' is aiming for a comeback and one significant victory could enhance his chances of another high-profile bout. Both Zhang and Kabayel are set to face off next month for the WBC interim title - with the belt ensuring them a shot at Usyk's title or the opportunity to be promoted should the Ukrainian relinquish the gold strap.