Anthony Joshua Could Fight This Ukrainian Boxer In A Mandatory Challenge

It appears every boxer wants a piece of Anthony Joshua, and we don’t blame them. His fight with Jarrell Miller is still about two months away, yet the unified heavyweight champion could have a mandatory challenger waiting for him in the person of Ukranian boxer, Oleksandr Usyk.

(Photo: Nick Potts)

Until now, Usyk has been reigning only in the cruiserweight division. However, he has conquered the entire division and won all four belts (WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO), achieving the status of a “super champion” – which in turn gives him the privilege to step up to the heavyweight division.

He’ll be making his heavyweight grand entry in a debut fight against Carlos Takam on May 25. As a professional who’s considered dangerous in the ring, many believe he’ll defeat Takam; and if that happens, then he must take on Joshua in a bid to win his first-ever heavyweight title.

So, this is a fight that is inevitable, although we all know it’s not what Joshua wants right now. The British-Nigerian can’t question the challenge, but his priority is to fight Deontay Wilder, who still holds the WBC belt, so he can becone the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Talks with Wilder continue to go South, and no matter how much Joshua kicks, his mandatory fight with Usyk might come up before he gets a chance at Wilder. Usyk’s reputation precedes him, and we’re holding our breaths, hoping he doesn’t take Joshua down when they finally clash.

Oleksandr Usyk (Photo: Eurosport)