Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will not be forced into retirement if he loses once again in his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk – that’s according to his promoter Eddie Hearn. Joshua is hoping to avenge the result last year after he suffered the second defeat of his illustrious career.
Back in September, Joshua was comfortably outclassed as the Ukrainian took his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles in front of 65,000 fans at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Usyk stunned Joshua on a number of occasions and was simply too fast for the Brit, landing a number of impressive hits to win unanimously on points.
Joshua will look to reclaim his titles when he faces the Ukrainian at the Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia on August 20. If he emerges victorious, Joshua would become a three-belt unified champion – and it may set up a mouth-watering undisputed clash with WBC champion Tyson Fury.
However, the 32-year-old would find himself cut adrift of the of the heavyweight picture if he suffers defeat at the hands of Usyk. Regardless, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn remains adamant that a loss to the 35-year-old Ukrainian – who admirably returned home to defend his country from the Russian military invasion – would not force the Brit into retirement.
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The reassuring words from Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn comes after former heavyweight champion David Haye claimed Joshua faces premature retirement should he lose to Usyk in Saudi Arabia next month. The 41-year-old believes Joshua’s mentality would essentially force him to walk away from the sport.
“If he doesn’t win, I am not sure he wants to be in a sport where he knows he is not the best,” Haye said. “He got out-hustled by someone he knows he can beat and if – he does everything right and Usyk still beats him – I don’t know if there is anything else for him to do in the sport.
“He is such a winner that I don’t know what he does next, if he loses again. He believes he has all the physical abilities to beat Usyk, so do I, so with the right plan he can get the victory.”