Anthony Joshua’s chances of becoming a three-time world champion have been trashed by Express Sport readers. A recent poll reveals that only 17.3% of 4,862 voters are backing AJ to regain heavyweight gold while 82.7% believe his time at the top is up. The result is another indicator that the public have lost faith in the heavy-hitting Brit following his back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua first became a world champion in 2016, picking up the IBF belt against then-champion Charles Martin via a dominant second-round knockout win. The WBA (super) title was then added to his collection the following year when he defeated Wladimir Klitschko in an enthralling Wembley clash. This was followed up by a win over Joseph Parker in 2018 for the WBO strap.
However, Joshua went on to drop his three belts to Andy Ruiz Jr in a shock upset fifteen months later but regained them in the rematch to establish himself as a two-time heavyweight champion. Unfortunately for Joshua, he was unable to do the same against Oleksandr Usyk who defeated him in consecutive contests in last two outings, booting him out of the world title picture.
The Watford powerhouse will now have to pick up the pieces and rebuild his career starting with a spring return date against Jermaine Franklin. Providing he beats the American, Joshua is hoping to secure the long-awaited rematch with Dillian Whyte and a blockbuster showdown with either Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury to close out the year.
