Haye: If Joshua loses Usyk again it could be the end of his career

If a Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) will lose again, he may end his career this year. So thinks the former cruiserweight king and retired heavyweight champion David Haye.

AJ on August 20 in Saudi Arabia will try to take revenge on Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) and regain the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts. But it will not be easy, because at the end of September last year, the Ukrainian left-hander quite clearly beat him on points. Will Joshua have enough new coaching staff and desire for revenge for a successful rematch?

“If AJ doesn’t win, I honestly don’t know if he wants to still be in a sport where he knows he’s not the best. If this time he decides that everything was fine during the preparation, and still loses to Usyk, then, probably, he will have nothing more to achieve in boxing. This is the character of a winner. He believes that he has the necessary skills and physical strength to come back and defeat Usyka. So if he loses to him for the second time, he may retire,” says David Haye.

“Joshua may lose, but the fight will not be worse than the first time. He couldn't have chosen a worse tactic than then. I'm sure it will be much better with Robert Garcia in the corner. Change is good, sometimes you need to look at things differently. AJ has to win the second fight and get back to the top,” Haye added.