Oleksandr Usyk may have taken the crown as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world with his victory over Tyson Fury, but Anthony Joshua also benefited greatly from the result.
The heavyweight division had been waiting for a unification fight for too long after the trials and tribulations during the time Joshua and Fury held all the major belts.
Politics from the four major governing bodies and failed negotiations prevented that fight from ever happening.
Joshua's career had been building up to that blockbuster fight with Fury and his career stagnated as a result of the fight never happening.
The 34-year-old successfully defended his belts three times before a shock defeat to Andy Ruiz stunned the world of boxing.
Anthony Joshua could benefit from Tyson Fury's loss
PA
Despite winning back his belts a few months later, irreparable damage was done to Joshua's reputation.
His unbeaten record had gone and Joshua's vulnerability was there for all to see.
Then came his back-to-back defeats to Usyk, the latter of which was a split decision after a close fight between the pair.
Joshua has since been on the comeback trail to try and get back to another world title shot and enjoyed an impressive 2023 with three wins on the bounce.
A devastating knockout win against Francis Ngannou improved his stock further given how close the UFC icon came to an upset against Fury a few months prior.
Joshua and Fury have been compared throughout their professional careers with the latter seen as the better of the two by the majority of boxing fans and the media.
But the Ngannou fights saw a slight shift towards Joshua's favour and Fury's split decision defeat to Usyk has only improved his position once more.
The result didn't come as a shock to Joshua, who told Eddie Hearn that he felt Usyk was a comfortable victor.
“[Joshua] thought Usyk won. He said, ‘Usyk won it easy.’ I had it quite close," Hearn said.
Oleksandr Usyk has proven himself to be a generational talent
REUTERS
"Again, scoring is subjective. I thought Fury boxed fantastically well in the first six rounds.
"I thought he was well on his way to boxing to a stoppage or a decision, but Usyk is incredible.”
Usyk is two years older than when he defeated Joshua for a second time back in 2022, but still looked the fitter man against Fury as he finished strong.
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Fury will have his chance at revenge against Usyk, which could prove crucial for Joshua's ambitions of regaining the heavyweight belts.
Joshua and Fury look set to finally step into the ring with one another in 2025 no matter what happens with Usyk.
But Fury's loss to Usyk has opened up some vulnerabilities that weren't previously there and that plays into Joshua's hands more than ever.
