Anthony Joshua has stated that he is focused on beating Oleksandr Usyk to ‘become three-time heavyweight champion of the world’.
Joshua is set to fight Usyk for a second time in April after losing his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts on a unanimous points decision in front of a sell-out crowd at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September.
However, there have been calls for AJ to step aside and let Tyson Fury face Usyk in an undisputed heavyweight title fight instead.
Despite calls for him to bow out, Joshua has said that he is focused on winning his belts back and that he doesn’t care what other people think.
Speaking to lifestyle magazine Stuff, Joshua said: “I’ve come up short twice, but the majority of times I have overcome many obstacles.
“Next fight I’m going to beat him and I’m going to take those belts from him.
“And I’m going to reign again to become three-time heavyweight champion of the world – whether people like it or not.”
Promoters Eddie Hearn and Bob Arum have spoken openly about the situation regarding the three heavyweight boxers.
Hearn recently said the fight between Joshua and Usyk will take place in April, while Arum said that purse for the fight would be sorted on Friday next week.
AJ’s promoter Hearn recently said: “I think April is realistic for that fight. Before you know it, it’s going to be February and these fights take a lot of organising.
“For us, the preferred date and venue for that fight will be the UK, in which case we would have to do the fight outside, so we’re not really interested in doing that fight in March.”
Arum told talkSPORT: “It is total chaos. What’s happening is just promises coming out of the Middle East about doing a unified fight with Usyk and Fury, and is Dillian Whyte gonna step aside?
“And people that have absolutely no contractual ties – like Frank Warren’s Queensberry and our Top Rank do – are getting involved.
“It’s a typical terrible kind of situation, but hopefully it’ll get sorted out and probably it will get sorted out with a purse bid on Friday.”
Joshua was the one who triggered the rematch clause to fight Usyk again after losing his his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium back in September.
Usyk defeated Joshua after 12 rounds of intense boxing, and the former undisputed cruiserweight champion was declared the winner by unanimous decision.”
