Has Anthony Joshua’s legacy been irreversibly tainted by his defeats?

The ongoing situation in Ukraine has meant boxing’s heavyweight division lies at a crossroads. Oleksandr Usyk is perhaps the closest opponent for Tyson Fury’s undisputed titles, but with ‘The Cat’ stepping away from the ring to fight for his country, all mandatory clauses have gone up in the air. Fury will take on Dillian Whyte later this month — a fight he is expected to dominate, while Anthony Joshua has eventually agreed a rematch with the Usyk for later this year after an embarrassing defeat.

It’s not quite the dream battle of the Brits many boxing fans had envisioned when coronavirus restrictions came to an end. Fury completed his trilogy with Deontay Wilder, settling his scores and moving on to a new challenge, which many believed lay in Joshua. Disagreements between Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren delayed proceedings but with the wheels finally in motion, Joshua just had to defeat Usyk — instead he was embarrassed on home soil.

September feels like a while ago now, but there was a time when Joshua was considered the best Britain had to offer in terms of heavyweights. Fury had put on a masterclass against Wilder but AJ’s longevity made him a favourite in the sports betting online with SkyBet odds for the bout with the Ukrainian. However, Usyk was dominant and earned the win.

It’s a second loss on the almost spotless record of Joshua, but this blemish only served to expose the underlying issues in the Watford boxer’s game. His style is reliant on power and athleticism, but against top competition he has shown to be exposed. Where does he go from here? There’s only so much Joshua can redeem in terms of his boxing legacy as he approaches what should be his prime years.

A big response is needed to ensure Joshua can capture the imagination of the British fans in the same way he did when he first burst onto the scene. When you think of his other defeat to Andy Ruiz, he was exposed by the Mexican’s approach — opting to turn the fight into a brawl, where tactics went out the window.

However, the rematch demonstrated how good he can really be, with a clear strategy to dominate every round and win by decision. It’s this kind of response that Joshua will need to replicate against Usyk, or else he faces the real possibility of fading into obscurity — a flash in the pan remembered more as an Olympian than a British champion.

The rematch is expected to take place in Saudi Arabia, meaning AJ won’t have home advantage. Although other options have been tried, Hearn has admitted the bout is proving difficult to stage anywhere other than the Middle East at the moment.

“If contracts and site fees that have been offered come to fruition, it would make going to the UK very difficult for us to get Usyk to do, quite frankly,” Hearn said. “We can see it from their point of view: ‘Why would I bother going back to England for half the money?’

“We can’t take a site that pays significantly less to Usyk. So, we do have to take that into consideration, but AJ just wants to fight.”

A win would mean everything to Joshua, but he then has to find that consistency that cemented his legacy three or four years ago. You get the sense that another painstaking loss could lead to AJ considering hanging up the gloves for good.

A dream match with Fury seems all but off the cards now, so it would make sense for the 32-year-old to leave with his reputation intact as opposed to risking more defeats which would overshadow the good work of his early days.