Anthony Joshua mentioned that he barely had a chance to enjoy Christmas before fight organizers reminded him just before New Year’s Eve that he would soon transition from his late-December victory over Otto Wallin to face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March.
Joshua’s dominant second-round knockout showcased his high level of activity and successful partnership with trainer Ben Davison.
Now, Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) will wait for the outcome of the May 18 fight between Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KOs) and Joshua’s fellow countryman, Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KOs), in Saudi Arabia. Usyk had previously taken Joshua’s three heavyweight belts.
Although there is a rematch clause between Usyk and Fury, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, expressed interest in organizing a long-awaited bout between Joshua and Fury, provided Fury defeats Usyk.
On Pro Box TV’s “Deep Waters,” former welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi stated that Joshua has regained his form after his back-to-back losses to Usyk in 2021 and 2022.
“The new-look Joshua with [former Fury trainer] Davison… I’m convinced by their progress,” Malignaggi remarked. “I believe he poses a serious threat to Usyk if they fight for a third time.”
Joshua’s decisive victory over the challenging southpaw Wallin, who inflicted a severe cut on Fury in their fight, and his demolition of Ngannou after the ex-UFC champion knocked down Fury and took the fight to the scorecards, represent a significant shift in his career.
“I’m back on the Joshua bandwagon,” said another “Deep Waters” analyst, Chris Algieri. “If I were creating a video game character of a heavyweight, it would be him. He has it all: the appearance, the power, the skill, and now the right mindset.”
While Joshua lost some shine with his surprising TKO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in his U.S. debut at Madison Square Garden in 2019, his resurgence in this Saudi doubleheader positions him as the top contender to whoever prevails on May 18.
However, the Usyk-Fury rematch clause could take precedence if their fight is closely contested. If so, Joshua may turn his attention to unbeaten Croatian Filip Hrgovic (17-0) if Hrgovic defeats Daniel Dubois on June 1 in Saudi Arabia, Malignaggi suggested.
“Can we start recognizing Filip Hrgovic and turn this into a legitimate sport?” Malignaggi exclaimed. “Hrgovic has been avoided. The winners of Joshua-Hrgovic and Fury-Usyk should face each other.”
Algieri concurred that if Hrgovic “dominates” Dubois, he deserves the chance to test Joshua’s chin.
“We’ve seen [Joshua] be inconsistent, and that inconsistency starts in his mind,” Algieri noted.
A strong blow to Joshua’s head “can happen at any time, just as Mike Tyson said: Your “life changes with one punch. It’d be easy for Joshua to revert to the version of himself that struggled against Andy Ruiz.”
With Davison in his corner and a major fight on the horizon, Joshua’s presence adds to the excitement in the heavyweight division.
