Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight kind since a 2019 redemption in opposition to an unfit Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia doesn’t deserve a heavyweight title shot.
The Briton, who bought knocked out at Madison Sq. Backyard by Ruiz in a primary profession defeat, has misplaced three of eight bouts and defeated no person ranked within the high 5. This sort of run doesn’t befit a championship challenger.
Of these eight bouts, Joshua misplaced to Oleksandr Usyk twice [both times in dominant fashion] and bought knocked out by IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who shouldn’t have any world title.
AJ’s 5 wins are Kubrat Pulev, Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and Francis Ngannou, which, upon a re-examination, looks like a run UK rival Tyson Fury would go on.
In distinction, Joseph Parker defeated Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang, and the extremely ranked Martin Bakole and absolutely deserves his shot subsequent.
Sky Sports activities’s Johnny Nelson agrees and says Parker vs Usyk needs to be on the playing cards within the coming months.
“Daniel Dubois jumped in and tried to mug the victory over Tyson Fury, and Usyk form of put him in place,” stated Nelson in his Sky Sports activities column. “He stated we’ll struggle, you’re taking your time. No person’s going to hurry him.
“He’s a man that’s left a path of devastation right here within the UK. So don’t be shocked by that being the result; it’s Parker, then Dubois.
“He deserves it as a result of it was Daniel Dubois that pulled out of their struggle [on February 22], not Joseph Parker. It was Daniel Dubois who put himself out of line for it.
“Daniel Dubois – so long as he wins his subsequent struggle and as lengthy Usyk wins in opposition to Parker, which I count on him to. The struggle in opposition to Usyk will all the time occur.”
Anthony Joshua’s subsequent struggle
Inadvertently, Joshua may battle Dubois in a rematch of their IBF title conflict and acquire a crack at a belt anyway as soon as recovered from a recent harm. The IBF backed Usyk right into a nook to relinquish his purple belt and the undisputed crown, which nonetheless stings after his accomplishments in opposition to Fury twice.
Usyk ought to nonetheless have all of the belts, and any Dubois vs. Joshua rematch is successfully an eliminator, which the latter misplaced the primary time round through a crushing knockout at Wembley Stadium final September.
As soon as he returns, the British boxer will in all probability get the chance to grow to be a three-time heavyweight champion, all emanating from different boxers being stripped or the topic of rematch clauses they weren’t prepared for [Ruiz].
Joshua will likely be a large underdog to beat Dubois, but when he does, promoter Eddie Hearn will in all probability proceed to laud the UK star as the following Muhammad Ali.
Updating on the harm that can hold Joshua out till the summer time, Hearn advised Matchroom Boxing. “[It’s on the] high half of his physique, there you go. It’s nothing main, but it surely implies that he’s been returning to coaching, and he’s not fairly able to return again to camp.
“He wants about one other eight weeks till he can punch correctly. You’re what, April-Could until he can begin camp correctly, main us to the again finish of the summer time.”
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The views expressed on this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. Study extra, and skim all articles from the skilled boxing author.
