Anthony Joshua's career has taken a sharp turn, and other heavyweights are lining up to challenge him. Hughie Fury, cousin of Tyson Fury, has thrown his hat in the ring, claiming he'll beat Joshua worse than Daniel Dubois did.
Joshua's journey in boxing has been a rollercoaster. He was once the unified champion with one of the best records in the division. But things started to change in 2019 when Andy Ruiz Jr shocked the world by beating him. Joshua bounced back and won the rematch, but his real troubles were yet to come.
In 2021 and 2022, Joshua faced Oleksandr Usyk twice and lost all his belts after 24 rounds of boxing. He tried to make a comeback against Daniel Dubois last September, but it turned into a disaster. Dubois knocked him down in the first round and stopped him in the fifth.
Now, as Joshua recovers from an injury, other fighters are eyeing him as a potential opponent. Hughie Fury, who's been out of the ring for three years due to long COVID, has made his intentions clear. In an interview with Morson Sport, Fury didn't mince his words:
"100% [I'll beat him worse than Dubois]. These are the fights I want. Joshua's had a great career, you can't knock the fella, he's been there at the elite level, he's done great things for boxing but I believe his time is done. He's only got a few fights left and hopefully, I will be one of them."
Fury has had three low-key wins in the last year, including a fifth-round body shot stoppage of Dan Garber in London. His career highlight so far was challenging for a world title against Joseph Parker in 2017.
But Fury isn't the only one eyeing a fight with Joshua. Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder is also in the mix. Wilder is set to face Tyrrell Herndon in June, looking to bounce back after two losses.
Many boxing fans had hoped to see Joshua face Tyson Fury, but that fight never materialized. Tyson Fury retired in January after losing twice to Usyk.
As Joshua weighs his options, it's clear that his days at the top of the heavyweight division are being challenged. Whether he can regain his former glory or will face more setbacks remains to be seen.
