By: Nigel Taylor
London, UK
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk have already fought 24 rounds together, and the prospect of them potentially extending this to 36 rounds is tantalising for boxing enthusiasts.
‘AJ’ put his WBA, WBO and IBF belts on the line against the former undisputed cruiserweight champion in 2021, being thoroughly outboxed to lose for the second time in his career.
Usyk managed to retain the belts in the immediate rematch, despite a more spirited performance from the Brit, adding even more weight to the potential trilogy fight.
With Joshua now on a four-fight win streak, Usyk’s promoter, Alex Krassyuk, was recently asked about the potential of a third fight by Boxing King Media.
“Anthony Joshua was talking about the third fight. He’s a great champ. He’s changed a lot since the two fights with Usyk. We’ve seen him going down and see him rising. It’s also a complicated fight to make. I’ll tell you why – cause now we are on different levels.
In the first fight, Usyk was almost no-name, and Anthony Joshua was a massive star in the UK. After he beat him twice, Anthony Joshua remains a huge star here, no matter what. So this fight might attract attention from the whole world.”
After some negotiation on the price tag his man would deserve for the third fight, Krassyuk finally settled on a modest number, highlighting the financial aspect of the sport.
“Let’s stay with $200 million.”
Joshua fights for his old belt on September 21 after Usyk vacated, allowing Daniel Dubois to be elevated to Full IBF Champion and put it on the line against his fellow Brit.
Should ‘AJ’ win that to become a three-time heavyweight champion and Usyk beat Fury in their December rematch, there may be discussions on the fight. Still, fans may wonder how much motivation will come from the Ukrainian’s side, given his two conclusive wins.
A more lucrative scenario would be for Fury to avenge his defeat, setting up a long-awaited all-British showdown with Joshua.
