As mayor of Kiev, Ukraine, Vitali Klitschko has plenty of serious stuff to occupy his mind right now; what with the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis proving a testing and frightening episode. But the former heavyweight king still found the time to speak with Sky Sports about the ongoing situation with Anthony Joshua. Joshua seems to have decided against taking any step-aside money, and his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk is – if we go by today’s stories – back on for the spring.
A good thing, too, according to Vitali – who told Sky Sports News that the Usyk-Joshua rematch “has to happen.”
“It is his decision,” Vitali said of Joshua’s step-aside option. “But my personal opinion? If Joshua sidesteps in this moment, when the boxing audience expects a rematch and wants to see Joshua versus Usyk, it would show weakness. Joshua, don’t do that, please. As fighters, we fight not just for ourselves but for the audience. The audience decides. If the audience wants the fight, it must happen. If Joshua steps aside, I’m not sure that the interest in Joshua would he so big in the future.”
Again, it does seem as though AJ has decided against taking step-aside money and he is as determined as ever to rule the world again (for a third time). And Vitali, like everyone else, wants to see if Joshua can avenge his September 2021 decision loss to Usyk.
“Everyone expects the rematch between Usyk and Joshua,” Vitali continued. “Usyk is so strong or did Joshua make mistakes? Who is stronger? That question interests every boxing fan. Let’s receive an answer. That’s why this fight must happen. Right now, everybody doubts if Joshua is strong enough to fight Fury. He can give an answer in the Usyk fight.”
Vitali said that if AJ can get revenge and defeat Usyk, a Joshua Vs. Fury showdown would be “the main fight of the past ten years.”
Indeed, Fury against Joshua, finally, would be massive. But can AJ beat Usyk? Can Fury beat Dillian Whyte (who the WBC champ is now widely expected to face next; yet we must still wait and see of those four-times delayed purse bids do take place for this fight tomorrow)? If both Brits come out on top, a unification battle between the two would be bigger than ever, as Vitali says.