On 20 June, Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk 2 officially became official. It had been simply ‘official’ for a number of weeks, since Usyk announced that he would leave his native Ukraine to train for the heavyweight title rematch, but – after a lengthy process to confirm a date and venue – the fight was finally on.
It had been un-italicised ‘on’ for a number of weeks, see, with Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn having first guaranteed a June fight date and having mentioned the possibility of the rematch taking place in London, like its predecessor. However, assertions of a spring clash gave way to suggestions of a July date, which soon gave way to hints of an August contest, and British fans’ hopes of seeing one of their star fighters in action on home turf were quickly deconstructed – much like “AJ” in his September points loss to Usyk – as Saudi Arabia became the clear frontrunner to host the bout.
And so, Joshua vs Usyk 2 was finally, officially, on for this Saturday in Jeddah – the prizes being the Ukrainian’s WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts.
The obvious question is whether the #RageOnTheRedSea marks Joshua’s last chance to set up an in-ring meeting with Tyson Fury, who claims – to the disbelief of most – that he has had his last dance.
Most would answer ‘yes’, but when Joshua, 32, was knocked out by Andy Ruiz Jr three years ago, the feeling was the same. Yet AJ responded with a mature performance at the end of 2019 to outpoint Ruiz Jr and reclaim his heavyweight belts. When the Briton lost them again, this time to Usyk last autumn, the probability of a clash with Fury faded to a mere possibility and then – with Fury’s ‘retirement’ after knocking out Dillian Whyte in April – an improbability.
And yes, if Joshua is to lose to Usyk once more, it is all but certain that we will never see that all-British heavyweight unification bout. It will be the lost fight of this generation, in Britain at least.
If Joshua is indeed defeated by the unbeaten Ukrainian again, calls for his retirement will be loud and plentiful – if unjustified. For Joshua, as much as he was seemingly engineered from birth and later moulded by Hearn to be heavyweight champion, does not need to be defined by that status; nor does his career need to be defined by a potential fight with Fury.
Of course, he could ease into the next phase of his life as a promoter and model, but that would feel a waste of the Olympic gold medalist’s ability. Many devoted followers of boxing are quick to deride Joshua as a fraud who was protected en route to the heavyweight gold and who was then exposed in fights by an aged Wladimir Klitschko – despite AJ’s late knockout win – and Usyk, as well as Ruiz Jr.
The truth is that Joshua is not the smartest nor most adaptable heavyweight out there, but he has clean fundamentals and fearsome knockout power. Just because he may not in fact be destined for a fight with WBC champion Fury, who is his opposite in so many ways, that does not mean his career should abruptly end for a lack of titles and the absence of a bout with the “Gypsy King”.
“If you lose, you lose to a pound-for-pound No 1, and then you regroup and you go again," Hearn told The Independent this summer.
“But obviously you want to win, and if he wins, I believe the Tyson Fury fight will happen; if he doesn’t, he goes back to being a contender again.”
There is nothing wrong with Joshua being a contender. In fact, that status could open up the most interesting phase of AJ’s career, with the possibility of fights against the likes of Deontay Wilder, old foe Dillian Whyte, fellow Olympic medalist Joe Joyce, and up-and-comer Daniel Dubois.
And, if all goes well, such a period could build Joshua back up to a title shot. More intriguingly, though, it could reintroduce fans to the AJ who was so enthralling in the first place: the swaggering juggernaut who provided British followers with so many entertaining evenings that guaranteed knockouts and little else.
If that is indeed how Joshua is to be remembered – knockouts and little else – would that really be so bad?
