Anthony Joshua advised to step aside and let Tyson Fury fight Oleksandr Usyk next

Anthony Joshua is due to fight Oleksandr Usyk again

Anthony Joshua should let Oleksandr Usyk take part in a unification fight with Tyson Fury before their rematch, says promoter Bob Arum.

Joshua is set to go up against Usyk once again in the spring after losing to the Ukranian in September.

But with Fury defeating Deontay Wilder to retain the WBC belt, Arum is keen to get Usyk and the British star in the ring.

He told ESNEWS: “I think it would be maybe wise to not force a fight with Usyk right away and let Usyk fight Tyson Fury and the winner to fight Joshua and Joshua to have an interim fight in the meantime.

“That’s what I hope and that’s the sensible thing. Whether it works out that way or not is not dependent on me, it’s dependent on Joshua. F*** Eddie Hearn. He has nothing to say about it.

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“All he does is spit his mouth. No, Joshua will make the decision for Joshua, and Joshua will make whatever decision he feels is correct.”

It’s unlikely Joshua will step aside with a win over Usyk likely to set up a unification bout showdown with Fury.

The British star has previously said he “needs” to fight his compatriot in his career.

“Do I need Tyson Fury on my record? I need it,” Joshua said on the BBC 5 Live Boxing podcast. “We need it for boxing. It’s what we all need, I need it. Come on, let’s see how good I am.

“Fight good fighters and they bring out the best of you. Training camp is hard. To get better is very difficult in boxing. To fight Tyson Fury is a big challenge. Let’s see how far I can take myself during this period. It’ll be a good challenge mentally. Not about him, but because I actually want to do well.

“When I wake up in the morning early and I’m tired, my body’s battered, I still go out and do what I do. It’s great rewards and only someone like Fury can give that to me.”

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