Highlights
- Oleksandr Usyk appears to be setting up a trilogy with Anthony Joshua providing the Brit does just one thing.
- AJ boxes fellow London fighter Daniel Dubois in September. If he wins, he could punch his ticket to another shot at Usyk.
- Joshua's string of victories has led to a desire for redemption against Usyk with a chance to solidify his legacy in the sport further.
It’s been a few years since we saw the current undisputed heavyweight champion, Oleksandr Usyk, reign supreme against Anthony Joshua, not once but twice, in back-to-back dominant performances. Now, in 2024, Usyk has also handed Tyson Fury his first professional loss back in May in what was one of the best heavyweight matches of the year, and Joshua has strung together a four-fight win streak as he knocks on the door of another title shot against a familiar face.
Of course, both Usyk and Joshua must get through their next fights unscathed if they plan to face one another for a third time. ‘AJ’ has a September 21 date booked against Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium, and Usyk is readying himself for a Q4 rematch against the ‘Gypsy King’.
When sitting down with Daily Mail, Usyk said that if he can get past Fury a second time and Joshua can get past Dubois, then a trilogy fight is necessary:
“I don’t particularly want any rematches, but when we beat Tyson Fury for the second time and when Anthony Joshua beats Daniel Dubois, of course they will want to do a third fight. From my point of view, I have no right to deny Anthony a third fight because he gave me two incredible fights. Anthony helped me become even more famous in the world. Anthony did it. And if it happens with God’s help, then I am ready for a third fight with Anthony.”
Related
Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif Wins Olympic Gold Medal
Algerian boxer Imane Khelif wins Olympic gold medal after calls for an end to bullying athletes.
Road To A Third Fight
Usyk is 2-0 versus the powerful Brit
Prior to facing the Ukrainian champion, Joshua had only one blip on his resume, which came to everyone’s surprise when massive underdog Andy Ruiz Jr put Joshua on ice skates. Joshua returned strongly in the rematch against Ruiz Jr and then put out another solid win against the dangerous Kubrat Pulev. The next two fights for ‘AJ’ would be a pair of decision losses from Usyk and a realization that he has room for improvement.
Following the series of fights against the Ukranian gold medal-winning boxer, Joshua looked better and better with each test. In three of the four victories, he has knocked out his opponents, including his most recent win over former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou:
As mentioned in the aforementioned quote, Usyk was always a super-talented cruiserweight - and now- heavyweight, but he couldn’t get any real publicity, most likely because of his soft-spoken and oddball nature, but, Joshua and his team opened the door for the Ukrainian fighter to become a mainstream sports star. Usyk has remained undefeated in his 22 professional fights, and his last victory was his biggest as he handed Tyson Fury the first loss of his career, while also becoming the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
In his massive fight against Fury, Usyk, who was the much smaller man, had an epic exchange that saw Fury being held up by the ropes:
Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 3
A third fight would be the biggest heavyweight fight possible in an era of big fights
Since Saudi Arabian super-promoter Turki Alalshikh joined the world of boxing, his presence has sent waves throughout all combat sports. He is responsible for bringing together fighters and promoters that we thought would never do business together. Alalshikh organized and funded Usyk-Fury as well as next month’s Joshua-Dubois event, which will be Riyahd Season’s inaugural show in the UK.
Alalshikh is great at formatting fights similarly to a bracket style to build a clear path to the biggest fights possible. If Joshua and Usyk both win, then the trilogy fight in 2025 would be historically and financially massive. Usyk is proving that size doesn’t matter, but rather technique and gameplan, but Joshua will hope to show that he is one of the greatest of all-time with a potential win over the current champ.
