Anthony Joshua’s path to reclaiming his championship belts faces potential delays. The British heavyweight had anticipated a fight for the IBF title this fall, but this opportunity is now uncertain.
Joshua, a former unified heavyweight world champion, has been intensely preparing for another title shot. Ideally, he would prefer to avenge his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, but he is prepared to face any current titleholder. Recent developments may disrupt Daniel Dubois’ planned bout at Wembley Stadium in September, regardless of the IBF’s intentions. However, recent developments could disrupt these plans, independent of the IBF’s intentions.
The complication arises from Oleksandr Usyk’s appeal against the IBF’s decision to strip him of his title. Usyk, who recently fought, has a rematch clause in his contract that Tyson Fury activated last week. After recovering from their recent bout, Usyk and Fury are scheduled for a rematch. The significance of this rematch for Usyk is that it potentially involves all the belts, which is a stipulation for the fight’s occurrence.
While a decision is still pending, indications suggest that Usyk might be granted additional time to recover and properly defend his titles in the rematch. Consequently, Joshua may have to wait several months for his chance at all the belts.
In the meantime, Joshua plans to remain active. He will seek an alternative bout if he cannot compete for the title soon. Turki Alalshikh, who has been vocal about arranging Joshua’s fight for the IBF belt, has pushed for Usyk to be stripped of the title. Regardless of the IBF’s decision on Usyk’s appeal, Joshua will likely face either Dubois or Hrgovic next weekend, albeit potentially without a title. Nevertheless, a fight between Joshua and either opponent would be highly anticipated.
