Promoter Frank Warren dealt a significant setback to Anthony Joshua’s plans, announcing that the victor of Daniel Dubois’ upcoming fight with Joseph Parker is slated to take on Oleksandr Usyk next, not ‘AJ’.
The blow comes after Joshua suffered his fourth career defeat in September at the hands of Dubois. The former two-time world champion was repeatedly floored before being stopped in the fifth round by ‘Triple D’. Eager for redemption, Joshua has been seeking an immediate rematch, but complications arose when his promoter, Eddie Hearn, disclosed injury concerns to the BBC: “AJ desperately wants revenge but the only issue is timing. For the rematch to happen in February, training camp will have to start in a couple of weeks. There are always niggles and he had a few so physically it’s just a case of whether AJ is ready to do that.”
Despite Joshua’s desire to even the score with Dubois, Warren’s latest comments to Sky Sports suggest a delay may be unavoidable: “Daniel is 27, Joe is 33, which isn’t old for a heavyweight by the way. One is the young buck and flying at the moment, and for somebody it’s his last chance.
“Usyk is the No 1 heavyweight in the world with three belts, Tyson [Fury] is retired, so No 1 and No 2 are fighting each other. It’s the next two best heavyweights in the world in the ring together fighting for a chance to unify the belts against Usyk. The winner, he’s got everything. The loser is going to be very very disappointed. It’s going to be an amazing fight.”
With Warren confirming Fury’s retirement, Joshua, who will be ringside on Saturday, is now on the hunt for his next opponent. A second bout with Joseph Parker could be in the works after Parker told Sky Sports he aims “to be champion of the world, to be unified champion of the world and to avenge the losses that I’ve had. And then retire”.
However, should he triumph over Dubois this weekend, the New Zealander has his sights set on either Usyk or a rematch with ‘Triple D. ‘ Meanwhile, Usyk disclosed to Sky Sports that he anticipates only two more fights before retiring, saying, “I will fight who will win, Joseph Parker, Daniel Dubois, no problem,” and “I think two years, one and a half [left in boxing]. I feel great myself. I feel I have two fights to prepare [for], not more. Just two.”
In another conversation with TNT Sports, Usyk surprised the boxing community by naming UFC champion Alex Pereira as a possible final opponent. “[After Dubois or Parker], maybe a ‘show fight’ with Alex Pereira. Maybe. Why not? Alex wants to,” he remarked.
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