ANTHONY JOSHUA ADMITS USYK IS THE SUPERIOR FIGHTER IN NEW "HONEST" INTERVIEW
Anthony Joshua admits Oleksandr Usyk is the superior boxer while joining his rival’s camp to learn "elite skills" for 2026.
Anthony Joshua isn’t pretending anymore. After losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk, he’s honest about where he stands. Usyk’s got the upper hand, and Joshua isn’t sugarcoating it.
“I’d be stupid to say I’m better than him. He beat me twice, didn’t he? Maybe I can win in the future, but right now, he’s better than me. I’ve got to give him credit,” Joshua told MF Pro and Radio Raheem.
That kind of honesty is rare, especially in heavyweight boxing, where guys usually spend years dreaming up excuses or blaming bad judges. Not Joshua. He’s ditching the whole “invincible AJ” act, which messed with his head after the loss to Andy Ruiz. Instead, he’s almost taking a page from Rocky III, ready to start over, willing to learn from the guy who’s on top.
Joshua isn’t playing the king anymore. He’s back to being the hungry challenger, which is probably when he’s at his best. He’s even training with Iegor Golub, a coach from Usyk’s team, and working out in Usyk’s environment, trading pride for real progress. The “skills” he once brushed aside as less important than brute strength? He’s chasing them now.
“I’m learning from someone better than me. That’s how you improve. Anyone can do it, but you’ve got to put in the work and really want it,” Joshua said.
Usyk, to his credit, has supported Joshua, especially after Joshua’s serious car accident in late 2025. Most heavyweights never admit that someone else simply works harder, but Joshua is using that as motivation.
“We’re not competing against each other, just pushing each other in the gym and supporting each other. Maybe I can win someday, but right now, Usyk’s better,” Joshua admitted.
The thing is, Usyk’s got his own plans; he spelt them out back in March. Joshua isn’t part of his “Three-Fight Roadmap”: Rico Verhoeven on May 23, then the winner of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois in late 2026 or early 2027, and finally Tyson Fury.
So, if you’re hoping for a trilogy, forget it. Usyk’s moving on, and Joshua’s got to figure out where he fits in next.
CAROLINE DUBOIS FLOORS TERRI HARPER TO BECOME UNIFIED WBC AND WBO CHAMPION
Caroline Dubois eyes undisputed glory after outclassing Terri Harper in a historic Most Valuable Promotions event.
Caroline Dubois finally settled things with Terri Harper, grabbing a unanimous win on Sunday and picking up the WBO lightweight belt. Now she’s a unified lightweight champion.
Walking in as the WBC titleholder, Dubois left no doubt, sweeping the scorecards: 98-91, 98-91, and 97-92.
Right after the fight, Dubois took a moment to soak in the crowd. “First of all, can I say a massive thank you to everyone? Like this atmosphere, this energy,” she told them. She didn’t hide how much support meant to her, pointing out how women’s boxing has always been left in the shadows. “Everyone who fought in the card. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.” Then she gave Harper her props, even if Harper must’ve been disappointed. “But listen, Terri had a good show, and she showed why she is a very, very, very good boxer.”
The opening rounds felt more like chess than boxing; both fighters took their time, sizing each other up. Harper moved well; Dubois struggled a bit to find her rhythm and distance.
Things really started to heat up at the end of Round 6, when Dubois cracked Harper with a clean left hand, dropping her to the canvas. The bell rang before Dubois could press her advantage, but Harper found her feet again in Round 7. Dubois, though, looked more confident, hunting for openings.
She even admitted it afterwards: “I felt like I could have gone through the gears,” Dubois said. “I don’t want to make excuses, but yeah, it doesn’t matter. Yeah, I felt like I started really well. Terri was very [tentative], and we knew she was going to be, and it was a bit tricky to get her. And the sixth round arrived, and that’s what happened.”
Round 8 delivered the fireworks that fans came to see. Both landed solid shots. Dubois kept popping her left and the jab, and a cut opened up over Harper’s left eye.
Knowing she was behind, Harper seemed to dig deeper in Rounds 9 and 10, marching straight at Dubois and turning the fight into more of a slugfest. She landed a couple of strong rights and a clean left hook right as Round 9 ended, then let her hands go in the final round, but Dubois stayed steady. It wasn’t enough to sway the judges.
Dubois got a lift, literally, after the match, heavyweight champ Claressa Shields hoisted her up as they celebrated in the ring.
So what’s next? This win opens up some huge opportunities for Dubois. She says she wants to be undisputed at 135 pounds. Stephanie Han (also with MVP) has the WBA belt but is supposed to rematch Holly Holm in May. Elif Nur Turhan owns the IBF belt and fights under Matchroom.
Dubois has even said she’d take on Alycia Baumgardner, the unified junior lightweight champ, but Baumgardner isn’t convinced Dubois is ready for that showdown, at least not yet.
DEREK CHISORA WEARS TYSON FURY MASK TO EXPLOIT DEONTAY WILDER’S "MENTAL SCARS" AT O2
Deontay Wilder vs Derek Chisora is official! See the tank entrance, Farage cameo, and the 10-minute stare-down results here.
Derek Chisora and Deontay Wilder’s final face-off in London was just as wild and unpredictable as their whole build-up. Both guys are stepping into the ring for their 50th professional fight, sharing the spotlight at The O2 Arena this Saturday. Wilder’s got the pedigree; he’s a former WBC world champ. Chisora? He’s the people’s champ, more famous for his offbeat antics than any world titles.
They’re friends outside the ring, but that hasn’t stopped them from pulling out every trick in the book to hype up this fight. Wild stories, jabs at other boxers, and plenty of Chisora’s bizarre humor they’ve used it all. Today, Chisora showed up with a Tyson Fury mask, poking at the one thing Wilder really hates: reminders of Fury, who knocked him out twice.
This wasn’t even the week’s first sideshow. Just yesterday, Chisora crashed the press conference in a tank, with politician Nigel Farage as a plus one. At York Hall, Misfits Boxing tried to take the drama up a notch for their first big MF Pro pay-per-view weigh-in, with an entrance walkway that felt more like a concert than anything.
Chisora strutted to the scale and weighed in at 266 pounds, turning his walkout into an event of its own. Wilder, way taller but 40 pounds lighter, weighed in at 226 pounds.
Down the walkway, they met again in the ‘Cauldron,’ with Chisora wearing the Fury mask. Everyone knows Wilder bristles at the mention of Tyson Fury, and Chisora leaned straight into it, announcing he was playing mind games. “I know he’s got PTSD from Fury,” Chisora joked, even though he’s suffered two knockouts and a lopsided decision loss to Fury himself.
Before the actual face-off, the organisers kept them under the lights for an endless interview, drilling them about the ongoing glove controversy. Wilder accused Fury of glove tampering in the past, so there’s history there.
After close to ten minutes, they finally got to stare each other down. Chisora sported his signature hat and Union Jack mask; Wilder went with a hat and sunglasses. It was tense, over the top, and pure boxing theatre, exactly what you’d expect from these two.
