Joshua better than Dubois – Usyk

Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk has rated Anthony Joshua as a better boxer than Daniel Dubois, despite Joshua’s recent fifth-round knockout loss to the latter.

The undisputed Ukrainian heavyweight champion, who has beaten both British fighters in his career, shared his assessment in a recent interview with TNT Sports when asked to compare the two.

“Anthony Joshua is an Olympic champion, two-time world champion. Daniel is a young boy, yeah? But Anthony is the best boxer,” Usyk stated.

The 37-year-old elaborated on his point in a separate interview, saying, “You cannot compare the two guys. These are completely different types of athletes. The only thing that is in common is that they both are boxers.”

Usyk is well-qualified to judge both fighters, having defeated Joshua in back-to-back fights in 2021 and 2022 before beating Dubois via knockout in August 2023 during his first heavyweight title defence, despite being down for several minutes from a shot that was ruled to be low.

Joshua has since fought Dubois for the IBF title but suffered a shocking knockout inside five rounds after what many observers considered a below-par performance.

Neither Joshua nor Dubois has fought since their clash. A rematch was initially on the cards but reportedly fell through due to “niggling injuries” on Joshua’s part. Dubois was subsequently scheduled to face Joseph Parker in February but withdrew after falling ill.

Dubois has since been targeting an undisputed rematch with Usyk, but the Ukrainian champion has now been ordered to fight WBO mandatory challenger Parker instead.

Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn recently revealed that the former two-time heavyweight champion has a clear focus on just two potential opponents for his next fight.

“There are only two fights that Anthony is interested in. The first is with Tyson Fury and the second is with Daniel Dubois,” Hearn said as qoted by BoxingScene.

“In my dreams, Tyson Fury will have already made his return to the ring soon, ideally in the next few months, which would allow for a fight with Joshua this year. But as you realize, there are no guarantees here. But this is the biggest fight that can only be organized.”