Determined Anthony Joshua Speaks on Retiring if He Loses Again to Oleksandr Usyk in Blockbuster Rematch

Determined Anthony Joshua Speaks on Retiring if He Loses Again to Oleksandr Usyk in Blockbuster Rematch

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:09 PM
  • Anthony Joshua is not impressed by reports suggesting he could retire if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk again
  • After losing all his belts to the Ukrainian last September, Joshua is set for a blockbuster rematch with the champion
  • Joshua says he is ready to prove his critics wrong and added that he does not have an intention to retire

British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has dismissed speculations that he will retire should he lose to Oleksandr Usyk again when they clash on Saturday.

AJ, who lost all his belts to the Ukrainian last September, will be looking to reclaim the titles, but there are speculations that he could lose again.

A second loss will clearly take AJ out of the heavyweight titles picture as he will now need to rebuild his status by fighting his way up again.

Anthony Joshua, Oleksandr Usyk
Anthony Joshua ready for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk. Photo: Ayman Yaqoob
Source: Getty Images

Pundits suggest that the 32-year-old will retire if he loses the rematch, an insinuation that infuriated the former world champion.

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AJ said, as per Daily Post:

“I respect people’s opinion. But I don’t want to retire. I’ve got one of the biggest fights of my life coming up, and if you were thinking about retiring, it would put massive doubt in your mind.
“People will always ask the question, but I still want to continue. I love it.
“If I was losing to some has-been, then yes. But it’s crazy to talk about retiring because I lost to one of the best fighters in the world. What sort of nonsense is that?”

Usyk defeated Joshua the first time with a clear unanimous decision win.

Israel Adesanya throws his weight of support behind AJ

Meanwhile, Israel Adesanya has stated that Anthony Joshua should tag into the Nigerian heritage for his fight against Oleksandr Usyk, which will hold this coming Saturday in Saudi Arabia.

When these two heavyweight boxers first met, Oleksandr Usyk defeated Anthony Joshua before a rematch was agreed between the two parties.

Israel Adesanya disclosed that he is supporting Anthony Joshua in the fight against his Ukrainian opponent.

Joshua demands more respect

Sports Brief earlier reported that Joshua has disclosed that he never got that respect while punching his way into the heavyweight division.

This is coming a month before his crucial re-match with Oleksandr Usyk as he hopes to regain his belts from the Ukrainian.

Back in September, Joshua lost his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles and many were disappointed that he did not reach his potential during the fight.

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Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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