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Anthony Joshua is still on the mend after his loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
'AJ' has been out of action since his rematch with 'The Cat' in August. Their first encounter nearly a year prior saw the Ukrainian dominate and leave Joshua's home country as the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Champion.
Following the defeat, the Brit decided to leave his longtime trainer and meet up with Robert Garcia. He also activated his rematch clause with Usyk, ensuring a second encounter between the two heavyweights.
After multiple delays, the rematch finally happened in August. Despite Joshua entering the contest as a heavy underdog, he showed a lot of new elements to his game and nearly scored a stoppage in round nine.
Sadly for the British star, he wound up gassing out after a near-stoppage. He was battered for the rest of the contest before losing by a split decision on the cards. Following the contest, Joshua had a meltdown in his post-fight interview.
Since then, Anthony Joshua has been quiet as to a return, especially after talks between himself and Tyson Fury broke down. Now, in an interview with Matchroom Boxing, he discussed his time away.
Months later, Joshua admitted that he was still hurting from the loss:
"I’m not a champion and it's hurting a lot. I'm in the gym, rebuilding, and restructuring, and everything on what to do in and out of the ring. There's a lot going on outside the ring in my life that's making boxing complicated," said Joshua. (0:18 - 0:32)
Watch his comments below:
Anthony Joshua discusses his return timeline
Anthony Joshua will return next year, but he doesn't want to reveal more than that.
Following his loss to Oleksandr Usyk, 'AJ' was in talks for a fast turnaround against Tyson Fury in December. The two have been in discussions for a clash for years, but it never came to fruition.
In keeping with tradition with their previous attempts to make the fight, it once again didn't happen. Joshua and Fury seemed on board to make the clash happen, but it fell apart after 'The Gypsy King' instead decided to face Derek Chisora.
After the controversy, Anthony Joshua isn't ready to put a set timeline on his return. In the same interview with Matchroom Boxing, he admitted:
"I don't know [when I'll be back]. I was supposed to be in the ring this year, now, I'll be in the ring next year. I'll be in the ring when I'm in the ring. I don't want to make any statements today and get held to the crossfire," Joshua added. (0:05 - 0:15)
