Oleksandr Usyk ready for trilogy fight with Anthony Joshua

Oleksandr Usyk is open to a third fight with Anthony Joshua if Joshua beats Daniel Dubois in September.

Usyk first fought Joshua in 2021, when the Ukrainian inflicted his second defeat and took the WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles. They fought again a year later, when Usyk was again victorious.

Joshua has since returned to towards the top of the heavyweight division, and after stoppages of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou secured a fight on September 21 with the IBF champion Dubois. Before Dubois was elevated to the status of champion, Usyk, 37, defeated Tyson Fury to become the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Usyk and Fury are on course to fight for a second time, for the WBA, WBO and WBC titles on December 21. Turki Alalshikh of the General Entertainment Authority has spoken of his desire for the winners of both contests to fight in 2025 to again crown an undisputed champion, and despite the one-sided nature of their two previous contests – Usyk also previously stopped Dubois – Usyk is willing to fight Joshua again.

“I don’t particularly want any rematches,” Usyk told the Mail. “But when we beat Tyson Fury for the second time and when Anthony Joshua beats Daniel Dubois [at Wembley Stadium], of course they will want to do a third fight.

“From my point of view, I have no right to deny Anthony a third fight because he gave me two incredible fights. Anthony helped me become even more famous in the world. Anthony did it. And if it happens with God’s help, then I am ready for a third fight with Anthony.”

The 34-year-old Joshua has largely impressed since his defeats by Usyk, under the guidance of his new trainer Ben Davison. Davison has previously spoken of his desire for a third fight to happen; the alternative could prove a fight between Joshua and Fury, who Davison previously trained.

Before Uysk’s success as a professional fighter, like Joshua he was once a decorated amateur boxer who won an Olympic gold medal at London 2012. Since then Olympic boxing has repeatedly been criticised and questioned, and after another controversial Games in Paris there are serious doubts over whether boxing will be at Los Angeles 2028.

Usyk says he intends to help to “clean” up amateur boxing, and said: “Boxing must change – the number of corruption schemes in boxing should decrease. World amateur boxing… The Ready To Fight team will make every effort to make boxing in LA [at the 2028 Olympics].

“The maximum task of mine is to make Olympic boxing clean. My team has a recipe for this. If the Olympic Committee wants to cooperate, we will get involved to help them. Our task is only this. We work for boxing.”