Anthony Joshua has plenty of big fights ahead of him regardless of the outcome of his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, according to Sergio Mora.
Speaking on JABS as part of the DAZN Boxing Show, Mora and Chris Mannix talked over where the former heavyweight champion’s future lies.
Mora believed that Joshua’s fame and ability will keep him in the public eye for many years to come, whether he defeats the Ukrainian three-belt world champion next month or not.
He explained: “Because people still want to see him against guys who are ‘better than him.’ Better heavyweights, ranked better than him. People want to see the star, the name they recognise. It’s about marketability.
“If you’re able to get a promoter to market that fight against a younger up-and-coming fighter, it’s going to sell. An old lion vs. a new lion, that will always sell. That story never goes away and Joshua like you said is an Olympic medallist, a two-time heavyweight champion. We know that he can come back, regroup, and do great things. He’s going to do it again.”
However, Mora was unsure of Joshua’s chances against the technically superior Usyk, saying: “Against Usyk, stylistically some guys just have your number and I think that Usyk has Joshua’s number. Once this fight is over and Joshua doesn’t come out with the victory, Joshua is going to have to come out quickly or he’s not going to go to the back of the line, he’s going to go to the next man in line.
“At 32 years old, that’s still young. He hasn’t taken physical beatings. He took one beating against Andy Ruiz . Usyk didn’t beat him down, he outboxied him, he outpointed him. He kind of gave him a shiner but it wasn’t a physical fight .He has a lot of career left in him. Big men can continue to fight, as long as he ‘s got power he can fight the later stages of his career. Usyk is just the wrong style matchup.
“Once this fight is done with, go back to fighting bangers, guys who can punch. You don’t fight great, smaller cruiserweights that are coming up, that use their feet, use their angles, southpaw snipers. Those are the wrong style matchup for any weight division. Any boxer will tell you that.”