Anthony Joshua faces another date with destiny in Saudi Arabia on August 20.
More than two and a half years after avenging his first career defeat when he outpointed Andy Ruiz Jr in the Middle East, Joshua (24-2) faces another immediate return against the masterful Oleksandr Usyk.
Former undisputed cruiserweight world champion Usyk claimed a unanimous decision victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September last year to rip the IBF, WBA and WBO belts from Joshua.
It is hard to look beyond the magnitude of a career-defining night for the 32-year-old, but the picture at the top of the heavyweight division is ever-shifting as a host of contenders jostle for position.
Whether or not Joshua becomes the fifth man in history to enjoy a third reign as champion, there are a number of potentially intriguing matchups in his immediate future.
MORE: Tyson Fury vs. Derek Chisora 3: What happened the first two times Del Boy took on the Gypsy King
What’s next for Anthony Joshua if he beats Oleksandr Usyk?
Should Joshua overcome Usyk second time around, all the focus will be on the same blockbuster fight that has occupied the attention of fans over recent years.
Tyson Fury has as many faces as the town hall clock when it comes to proclamations on his future in or out of boxing. In the space of three days leading up to his 34th birthday, the Gypsy King announced his boxing comeback to fight Derek Chisora despite already beating his fellow British heavyweight twice, flew to Iceland to call out strongman Hafthor Bjornsson, who was in Rome at the time, and then retired again.
Much as any of Fury’s public missives are to be taken with a vat of salt, what is undeniable is the WBC champion’s mind is on boxing as the other three major heavyweight belts are about to be put on the line again.
MASSIVE THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAD AN INPUT IN MY CAREER OVER THE YEARS & AFTER LONG HARD CONVERSATIONS IV FINALY DECIDED TO WALK AWAY & ON MY 34th BIRTHDAY I SAY Bon voyage. HEARS A FEW WHO MADE IS SPECIAL ALONG THE WAY… pic.twitter.com/jNeF1CbBqm
— TYSON FURY (@Tyson_Fury) August 12, 2022
Joshua’s losses to Ruiz and Usyk took some of the shine off a potential matchup with Fury but, if he gets revenge, that remains the fight the world wants to see. It would probably be the richest bout in boxing history.
As prior experience shows, negotiations between Joshua and Fury tend to be anything but straightforward. Promoter Eddie Hearn has said he wants Joshua to fight again in December this year, and if a deal for the undisputed clash cannot be secured, it would be time to try to tick off a mandatory obligation. Filip Hrgovic, undefeated and highly rated, faces Zhilei Zhang in a final eliminator for the IBF title on the Usyk vs. Joshua 2 undercard and can put himself in prime position.
Alternatively, Joe Joyce is ranked highly by the WBO and IBF, along with the WBC, should Fury vacate. The 2016 Olympic silver medalist is undefeated as a pro and faces Joshua’s old foe Joseph Parker in September. If he wins that fight in Manchester, there will be some momentum behind the Juggernaut as an alternative to Fury in an all-British showdown with Joshua.
Joshua’s resumé since turning professional is arguably deeper than any elite heavyweight, something that is often obscured by the two fights that got away. Alongside being yet to meet Fury, a bout with Deontay Wilder when the American knockout artist was WBC champion never happened.
Both have lost their unbeaten records since that bout was top of the agenda in 2019, but as Wilder reportedly prepares for an October comeback against Robert Helenius after his sapping trilogy with Fury, much of the old allure remains.
“I believe that fight is enormous, even if he loses to Usyk,” Wilder’s promoter Shelly Finkel said recently regarding the prospects of his man meeting Joshua.
What’s next for Anthony Joshua if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk?
Aside from Wilder being there win or lose, according to Finkel, Joshua is fortunate that his career has a few more intriguing narrative threads that fans would like to see tied up, with or without belts.
Dillian Whyte has taken significant strides since losing a seven-round thriller to Joshua back in December 2015, where he was the first man to hint at his domestic rival’s future frailties by shaking him in the second.
Animosity remains between the pair and, even though there would be a sense of damaged goods given Whyte’s comprehensive loss to Fury at Wembley, it remains a fight that could fill a stadium in their homeland, especially as both would be in the last-chance saloon in terms of trying to propel themselves back into world-title contention.
In an interview with iD Boxing ahead of his September return against Luis Ortiz, Andy Ruiz was keen to remind Joshua that their overall ledger is one apiece.
“Of course, that’s something we should have done. Once he beat me over there, there should have been a trilogy,” he said.
“I should have had one more opportunity to get back those belts, just like we gave him the opportunity in the rematch. There has to be a trilogy, if he loses or he wins and, if I lose or I win, someway, somehow.”
If Joshua is given further demons to conquer by Usyk, seeing him rebuild against the only other man to have beaten him would be intriguing.
A stacked UK heavyweight scene means there will always be a queue of fighters at least claiming they want a piece of Joshua. Whyte is reportedly in negotiations to face Daniel Dubois for the WBA ‘regular’ title.
A meeting between Joshua and Dubois, two big-punching but vulnerable heavyweights, would hold obvious appeal and also give AJ a swift route back into the world-title picture in the form of a secondary belt.
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