Should Anthony Joshua take an Oleksandr Usyk rematch?

The pair met on Saturday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with Joshua’s three belts on the line. Usyk emerged as the new IBF, WBA and WBO champion after a dominant display that went against the consensus that the 31-year-old Briton would be too powerful for the smaller Ukrainian, who had come up from cruiserweight.

Akin ‘Ak’ Reyes put the defeat into context, in that it upset plans for an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Joshua and Tyson Fury into serious doubt.

Reyes said, “If having the positive attitude about anything happening to you was a person, that would be Anthony, Joshua. All his responses are refreshing to hear from somebody who had a big loss. 

“This isn't a small loss. This is a unified heavyweight crown, four straps that he held and people were waiting to see the results of Wilder-Fury, so they could have a mega showdown.

“We knew that there was a possibility that Usyk could accept the apple cart.”

Barak Bess believes that despite the scale of the defeat, Joshua does not need to give up hope of a successful rematch.

“I think it was a good fight, '' he began. “Of course, there's a million things I can say about Anthony Joshua's performance.”

“But a lot of people are saying that he shouldn't take the rematch straight away. Usyk will beat him every single time. And I beg to differ. I believe that the fight was competitive enough to warrant a rematch. I think it was competitive enough for us to expect that Joshua wants to execute his rematch clause like a champion would, like Roberto Duran and Sugar Ray Leonard back in 1980. 

“I think that's the kind of fighter that Joshua is mentally and and I think he'll prove that there were things that he could have done to win the fight. There was a time where he stunned Usyk and did not jump on him, did not mix it up, did not go to the body enough. 

“There were so many things he didn't fight on the inside. There were so many things I think he can improve on. I'm sure he knows that and he doesn't need to wait a couple of years to do it.”