Does Anthony Joshua deserve another go at Oleksandr Usyk? In a handful of days, the biggest fight of the last two decades will unfold in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia! Tyson Fury will go toe-to-toe with ‘The Cat’ for the coveted heavyweight undisputed status. And ‘AJ’ is being touted as the boxer to challenge the winner of that fight. However, if Usyk wins, does Joshua deserve a shot?
All the way back in September 2021, the Englishman fought Usyk and suffered a devastating loss via unanimous decision, something he couldn’t change in the following year in their rematch. Since then, Joshua has unraveled a new chapter in his career with comeback fights against Otto Wallin and, more importantly, Francis Ngannou, who even gave Tyson Fury a run for his money last year. Not to mention, Joshua has now teamed up with coach Ben Davison. But! Usyk doesn’t think the wins or the new coach would matter much if they fought again in an interview with Boxing King Media.
During Usyk’s interview, the reporter suggested Joshua could be a problem for him because of Ben Davison. However, the Ukrainian heavyweight wasn’t buying any of it! He promptly responded by saying, “I don’t know because Francis Ngannou and Otto Wallin [are] good boxers, but not top level boxers.”
Speaking about Joshua’s last fight, Usyk casually tossed that second-round knockout into the ‘easy-peasy’ pile of victories. “Anthony is a great man, great boxer, Olympic champion. His last fight was great because Anthony is Olympic champion and it was Ngannou’s second boxing fight,” said Oleksandr Usyk.
Then, he turned to those who insist Joshua would pose a challenge in a third match, urging them to snap out of the fantasyland, because polishing off an inexperienced opponent doesn’t exactly hone Joshua’s skills. “Listen people, wake up, Olympic champion and a man who has two fights – it’s different,” said Usyk. Meanwhile, Anthony Joshua has shared his predictions for the undisputed clash!
It cannot get bigger than this! Usyk, the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion, will look to collect Tyson Fury’s WBC heavyweight title on May 18. After the boxers arrived in Saudi last week, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh has revealed on X that even Anthony Joshua has arrived in the country to witness history unfold.
Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, Joshua appeared in an interview with talkSport, where he shared his prediction for the fight. Joshua said, “I’ve fought Usyk so I can only speak on what I’ve experienced with him – phenomenal fighter, I would say he’s going to do a really good job… I’ve never fought Fury, so I can’t speak on what it’s like to face him. Only speaking on what I know, I have to say Usyk will be victorious.”
With mere days left in the fight against Tyson Fury, Oleksandr Usyk seems to have dropped hints at the potential trilogy with Anthony Joshua. While Usyk doesn’t seem to think the result will be any different if they fought again, the Saudis have a way of making fights happen. So, who knows! A trilogy fight could be on the horizon.
