Last Saturday Anthony Joshua fell short when he put his unified IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight championship on the line against former undisputed cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
This was the second defeat suffered by Joshua. He was previously defeated by Andy Ruiz Jr just two years ago. In June 2019 AJ suffered a shocking upset loss at the hands of Andy Ruiz Jr. AJ had jumped out to a good start, and he had Ruiz Jr in trouble when he dropped him in round 3. But when AJ jumped in for the finish, Ruiz battled it out and he dropped Joshua twice before the round ended. Ruiz dropped AJ two more times in round 7 and the fight was over. Six months later, AJ made the necessary tactical adjustments to avenge his loss with a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision. The victory made Joshua a two time heavyweight champion, and he regained the unified IBF/WBA/WBO belts from the man he lost them against.
Will history repeat itself? Can Anthony Joshua bounce back and avenge his loss against Oleksandr Usyk?
Joshua first became champion in April 2016 when he stopped Charles Martin in 2 rounds to win the IBF heavyweight title. A year later he faced former long reigning heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko, and AJ overcame adversity and rose from the canvas to dramatically stop Klitschko in the 11th round of a highly engaging championship contest. With that victory, AJ had earned the WBA title. And Joshua also added the WBO belt to his collection when he was awarded a 12 round unanimous decision against Joseph Parker in March 2018. He also holds notable victories against the likes of Alexander Povetkin, Dillian Whyte, and Kubrat Pulev to name just a few.
Joshua is now at an important crossroads in his career. Can he bounce back?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner will attempt to answer that question while providing a quick look back at the differences between the Ruiz loss and the more recent defeat suffered at the hands of Usyk. For one man’s opinion, please watch and enjoy the video.