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Anthony Joshua could face British star next if he beats Oleksandr Usyk

Joshua could be set for a domestic dust-up if he comes through his next opponent in London.

Anthony Joshua could be forced to defend his heavyweight titles against the highest-ranked WBA contender.
The unified champion is currently preparing to take on Oleksandr Usyk on September 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Usyk will face Joshua following the collapse of Joshua-Fury and is the WBO's mandatory challenger.

Should Joshua come through his toughest test yet then an all-British clash could be next, and it may not be Tyson Fury.

The WBA have scrapped secondary belts meaning Daniel Dubois is no longer the interim heavyweight champion.
The organisation has insisted they will now mandate the stripped champions as the No.1 challenger in their divisions.

Dubois or regular titlist Trevor Bryan are in the frame to seal a lucrative showdown against Joshua or Usyk. Joshua has already fought a mandatory challenger in Kubrat Pulev, dispatching him inside nine rounds at the SSE Arena, Wembley, in December.

Usyk is his latest test and while Joe Joyce will become the newest mandatory challenger with the WBO, AJ has 12 months leeway before having to fight him.
The undefeated southpaw from Ukraine is the former undisputed champion at cruiserweight, the 2018 World Boxing Super Series winner and retired Tony Bellew at 200lbs.
Since moving up to heavyweight, Usyk has beaten Chazz Witherspoon and Derek Chisora.

Should he overcome Joshua, he'll become just the third fighter after Evander Holyfield and David Haye to unify the 200lbs division and win a world title at heavyweight.

Rematch clause added

Alexander Krassyuk spoke to Planet Sport ahead of the blockbuster September showdown and revealed Joshua has inserted a rematch clause.

"There was no delay (in the announcement). There was just the process of coordination inside the paperwork so on my side I had to secure not just one fight but the rematch as well. It's already public that if Usyk wins, Joshua wants the rematch.
"We treat it very seriously, and to avoid any misunderstandings after Usyk's victory, we spent some extra time coordinating the issues that might be really important after he wins and when we move to the rematch - that's why it took a bit of extra time.
"I don't really like to say, 'wow this is something extraordinary' because most promoters say it's extraordinary before every fight. For Usyk, it's not an exaggeration to say this stage is the fight of his life," Krassyuk added.

Read more: Anthony Joshua's form guide ahead of his fight against Oleksandr Usyk

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