Heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has ranked Anthony Joshua above Daniel Dubois, despite Joshua’s recent fifth-round knockout loss to Dubois.
The Ukrainian, who has defeated both British fighters, shared his view in an interview with TNT Sports. When asked to compare the two, he stated:
“Anthony Joshua is an Olympic champion, two-time world champion. Daniel is a young boy, yeah? But Anthony is the best boxer.”
Expanding on this, Usyk explained in a separate interview:
“You cannot compare the two guys. These are completely different types of athletes. The only thing in common is that they both are boxers.”
Usyk has firsthand experience against both men, beating Joshua twice in 2021 and 2022 before knocking out Dubois in August 2023 in his first heavyweight title defence. That fight saw Usyk recover from a controversial low blow that left him down for several minutes.
Joshua later faced Dubois for the IBF title but suffered a shocking fifth-round knockout, with many considering his performance subpar.
Since their bout, neither Joshua nor Dubois has fought. A rematch was discussed but fell through due to Joshua’s reported injuries. Dubois was then scheduled to fight Joseph Parker in February but withdrew due to illness. He has since set his sights on a rematch with Usyk, but the Ukrainian has been ordered to face WBO mandatory challenger Parker instead.
Meanwhile, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, recently revealed that Joshua is focused on just two possible opponents.
“There are only two fights that Anthony is interested in. The first is with Tyson Fury, and the second is with Daniel Dubois,” Hearn told BoxingScene.
“In my dreams, Tyson Fury will have already made his return to the ring soon, ideally in the next few months, which would allow for a fight with Joshua this year. But as you realize, there are no guarantees here. But this is the biggest fight that can only be organized.”
