Oleksandr Usyk has sent a message of support to his last opponent, Anthony Joshua, as the Brit gets ready to mount a come back.
The pair have shared the ring twice now, 24 rounds, and each time the decision has gone in favour of Usyk. He currently holds the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles for his troubles.
As the Ukrainian moves towards a historic undisputed bout with Tyson Fury – who holds the WBC belt – Anthony Joshua is set to rally in the division in an attempt to make it back to the very top.
Usyk, clearly quite fond of ‘AJ’, told The Guardian that the UK fighter shouldn’t get down about losing, and thinks the chance at championships will come back around.
“Joshua shouldn’t be upset because he lost to me. He just needs to keep working because he’s a very cool boxer and a nice man. He will have an opportunity to become the world heavyweight champion again.”
Usyk outclassed Joshua on both occasions – once in England and once in Saudi Arabia – to prove his worth in a weight class he only recently joined. Many feel though that Joshua made a good account of himself in the second fight, and the loss was more a result of the elite opposition than anything else.
To begin his climb back to the top, he faces Jermaine Franklin on April 1 in London. Whilst the American put up a good showing against Dillian Whyte last November (Whyte UD), fans expect ‘AJ’ to pull off a statement victory if he wants to mix it with the top dogs once more.
