What next for Anthony Joshua? Going into last night’s must-win rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, plenty of talk was heard that said Joshua may well retire if he loses to Usyk again. Well, Joshua didn’t win the must-win fight and fans are now wondering what the former two-time heavyweight champ will do next.
It’s far too early for anyone to say with any accuracy what Joshua will do; and AJ will have in no way made his own mind up at this point. Going into the Usyk return, Eddie Hearn didn’t want to talk, quite understandably, about what AJ would do if he lost – Hearn fully believing his man would get his revenge. But Hearn did say that retirement is out of the question. Joshua “loves boxing” too much for that, Hearn said.
And although some people may use the adage, ‘three strikes and you’re out,’ there are plenty of big fights out there for Joshua. As Hearn said last night, there is no shame in losing to the pound-for-pound king, as Usyk surely is, and as such, maybe Joshua’s marketability will not have taken too much of a hit due to the repeat loss to the simply remarkable Usyk.
The big one for Joshua is a fight with Deontay Wilder. Two former champions who have shown pride and desire in equal amounts, facing off in a genuine battle of punchers. We fans would for sure pay to see this one. Might Tyson Fury come back and still fight Joshua? Stranger things have happened; although of course, the fight the whole world wants next is Fury against Usyk.
Joshua could take a break and then get back in there with a Dillian Whyte, with the Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker winner, maybe a trilogy fight with Andy Ruiz if Ruiz beats Luis Ortiz next month, some fight like that. But again, we will have to wait and see. Maybe Joshua will not wish to fight on knowing he is not the best of the best. Maybe the blow to his ego will prove too much. Or might Joshua come back stronger, even more determined? And can anyone other than Usyk beat the Joshua that performed in Jeddah on Saturday night?
Joshua has made an absolute ton of money and he has no need at all to fight again. Joshua now has to decide if he wants to fight again. It’s his call and nobody else’s. Joshua gave his all last night and it wasn’t enough. Such a thing can break a fighter. At this point, it’s pretty much 50-50 as to whether or not Joshua fights again. Hearn, though, did say last night how he would like to see Joshua “get back out there in December, and be more active.”
Time will tell. Do YOU think Joshua will fight again in just four months?
