Anthony Joshua has expressed a sense of missed opportunity following Oleksandr Usyk’s knockout victory over Daniel Dubois. Dubois faced a crushing defeat at Wembley on Saturday night and was stopped in the fifth round by Usyk, echoing the moment 10 months prior when Dubois claimed a KO win over Joshua. With this triumph, Usyk reclaimed his status as the undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time against a British opponent.
Joshua, out of action since last September, is poised for a comeback later in the year. Eddie Hearn, speaking to The Stomping Ground, revealed that he had messaged Joshua after Usyk’s win, saying: “Yeah I did. I text him saying, number one: Usyk is unbelievable. And number two: We really should have beaten Dubois,” to which AJ responded with: “I know.”
While Joshua’s next opponent remains unconfirmed, there’s growing buzz around a potential bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The American watched Usyk continue his undefeated streak ringside at Wembley and squared off with the Ukrainian in the ring post-fight. However, Paul’s immediate ambition lies in a match-up with Joshua, aiming to stage it at the iconic national stadium.
“It’s going to happen, it’s going to happen,” Paul declared to talkSPORT. “I want it to happen here (Wembley). All the odds stacked against me. I believe that I will beat him and shock the world and create one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.”
Hearn has disclosed his intention to hold further talks with Nakisa Bidarian, the CEO of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. “It sounds like Anthony Joshua is going to fight Jake Paul,” Hearn declared.
“If he is true to his word, if he really wants the fight… the fight will happen. I can’t believe… its great that Tyson Fury is saying Jake Paul is going to win… maybe I’ve lost my mind.
“If they truly want the fight, I’m going to speak to Nakisa next week, we can make the fight that does the biggest numbers in the sport. Forget Canelo vs Crawford, it doesn’t touch the surface of AJ against Jake Paul.
“If you want to do the biggest numbers in the sport, we will make it happen, but be careful what you wish for. This ain’t a game, this ain’t a YouTube video, this isn’t numbers or algorithms, this is physically dangerous.
“But if you want to do it, we’ll do it. I’m not going to argue about it, I’m just telling Jake Paul this is real and he has to understand the consequences that come with a fight like this.”