What now for Anthony Joshua?
There was a point a couple of years ago where Anthony Joshua was dubbed as one of the greatest British boxers of all time. The heavyweight was unbeaten and on top of the world, delivering knockouts with varying degrees of speed but scary levels of devastation. However, a surprise loss to Mexican Andy Ruiz in the summer of 2019 left so many questions to be answered — a first career obstacle for a boxer with a glistening CV.
The Watford local’s career was at a crossroads, he had to perform in the rematch that December and duly delivered, putting in a strong performance in the clash of the Dunes worthy of the heavyweight unification belts. If that was a situation that looked perilous, imagine how ‘AJ’ must be feeling now.
With so much talk about a proposed fight with Tyson Fury, and having not been in the ring since the end of 2020, when he beat an exceptionally ordinary Kubrat Pulev, Joshua was simply outclassed by Oleksandr Usyk — the Ukrainian shocking some but proving to others how good he has been for the last few years. If anyone thought the demolition job on Derek Chisora wasn’t convincing enough to give him an outside shot in the sports betting.
Still unbeaten, Usyk walked into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium blissfully unaware that he would be potentially altering the future of British boxing over the next 12 rounds. Despite being four inches taller, AJ failed to capitalise on his superior reach and although he primarily spent his absence from the ring cutting weight, his technical prowess was still on display, even if sporadically.
The fight mutated into hellacious pace as both men landed big shots, with Joshua failing to make the most of his physical advantages and Usyk persistently landing cleanly. Joshua failed to get out of the proverbial first gear and his one-dimensional style was predictable and almost naïve. In a sport where consistency and perhaps even perfection on the biggest occasion was key, it was testament to the Ukrainian that he ensured a sheer frightening pace throughout the fight’s duration — earning a victory via unanimous decision in front of a solid 60,000-strong in North London.
It is a result that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth of AJ and his promoter Eddie Hearn. Losing the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight belts would have been tough to take but he ensured Joshua will be ready when the time comes to fight again: “It’s going to be really difficult because Usyk’s confidence will be sky high, but when you get to the level of Anthony Joshua, as we saw after the Ruiz defeat, there’s no 10-round comeback fights and warm-ups.
“It’s straight back into the fire and he will want to go straight back into that rematch.” Hearn added: “He will be an underdog in the rematch this time after that tonight, but that’s what he does.”
While some may perceive the result as an upset, other betting tips were aware Usky’s skills were more apparent, making the contractually obligated rematch an interesting state of affairs. With Fury set to finish his trilogy with Deontay Wilder as well, it could be some time before we see the all-British affair many had been dreaming of. That is if we ever see it materialise at all. The painful reality Joshua must face is that another defeat languishing over him could be the beginning of the end.
While his fractured orbital sustained in the ninth round will heal in a matter of weeks, the mental obstacles he faces may have left a blow that will be sore for much longer. Now Joshua has exercised his right to a rematch, he must ensure his fragilities aren’t exposed and his legacy hangs in the balance as he gears up for the biggest fight of his life.