Anthony Joshua wants a considerable amount of money nobody in their right mind would pay for a step aside opportunity. According to Eddie Hearn, Joshua wants a cool $52 million [£40m] to allow Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk.
This extraordinary demand means there’s no chance of Fury vs. Usyk happening next.
Joshua’s figure is similar to what he asked for from Deontay Wilder back in 2017. The Briton famously stated: “Deontay Wilder, say he gave me 50 million dollars. If he gives me $50m, I’ll accept the fight the next day. I swear.”
Wilder, co-manager Shelly Finkel, and Showtime Boxing’s Stephen Espinoza put up the money with a guarantee. Joshua subsequently counter-offered, rather than accepting the fight in the United States.
We all know how that ended.
Joshua has priced himself out of a potential undisputed heavyweight clash with Tyson Fury this time around. As if Joshua loses to Usyk again, his career could be over.
Former foe Wladimir Klitschko’s manager Bernd Boente believes Joshua should walk away from Usyk if he possibly can.
“Usyk is someone you don’t want to fight if it’s not a must. He’s a southpaw, very flexible, very mobile, good movement, good head movement, good upper body movement.
“He has a huge amateur background with 350 amateur fights. I mean, the guy knows everything,” Boente told Vegas Insider.
ANTHONY JOSHUA REVENGE
If Joshua does end up in a ring with Usyk again, Boente has some words of advice.
“AJ has to fight as the big dog. He has to. I mean, he’s the bigger puncher, and he’s taller. Joshua is 17 stone, so he has to fight like the big dog and put pressure on Usyk,” pointed out Klitschko’s right-hand man.
“It’s hard because the guy is a flexible, good counter boxer. But if AJ lets his jab go and throws more combinations and more right hands and puts more pressure on him, takes a higher risk, he has a good chance to win that fight.
“He got too reluctant, and in the rematch, he needs to go all in. It’s all or nothing. He has to take more risks.
“One thing for sure, if Usyk gets into his rhythm, he’s hard to beat, so what you have to avoid is that, and what you have to be is on him. To pressure him, and still, it’s a very difficult fight.”
The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.
Phil Jay – Editor of World Boxing News since 2010 with over one billion views. Follow WBN on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
