"I am not sure he wants to be in a sport where he knows he is not the best" - David Haye suggests Anthony Joshua may consider retirement if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk

As Anthony Joshua prepares for his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, David Haye has suggested retirement may be considered if 'AJ' faces defeat again.

On August 20, Joshua will face the fight of his life with the aim of rectifying his mistakes and reclaiming his world titles. Former heavyweight world champion David Haye, who retired in 2018, believes that Joshua may not want to carry on boxing if he receives a third career defeat.

While doing an interview with The Sun, Haye expressed his thoughts on what could be next for Anthony Joshua if he loses:

“If he doesn’t win, I am not sure he wants to be in a sport where he knows he is not the best. He got out-hustled by someone he knows he can beat and if he does everything right and Usyk still beats him, I don’t know if there is anything else for him to do in the sport."

Haye added:

“He is such a winner that I don’t know what he does next, if he loses again. He believes he has all the physical abilities to beat Usyk, so do I."

Anthony Joshua's record currently stands at 24-2. The Brit is a former two-time Unified Heavyweight World Champion.

If Usyk repeats history in August, it may leave Joshua re-thinking his position in the heavyweight division.

Watch Anthony Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk here:

---

Will Anthony Joshua consider retirement if he loses to Oleksandr Usyk again?

Joshua has proven that he is a winner and would not want to quit the sport he loves after defeat. However, a third professional loss on his resume will begin to put a lot of doubt to his name.

The Brit is an elite heavyweight with an impressive resume. To further this, he recently signed a huge nine-figure deal with DAZN meaning he is likely to continue his journey.

There are still many major contests out there for the former Olympian, even if he is unsuccessful against the Ukrainian. Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois are also making positive names for themselves and could propose good opponents in the future for Joshua.

As heartbreaking as a third defeat may be for the former two-time world champion, he still has a lot more to do with his career and is still very much in his prime. It looks far from possible that retirement will be an option for the boxing superstar regardless of the result next month.