Oleksandr Usyk’s brutal win over Daniel Dubois has gained a response from their shared rival, Anthony Joshua.

On Saturday night, Usyk brutally stopped Dubois in the fifth round with a stunning left hook to become a three-time undisputed champion.

Dubois became the latest of three Britons to have two defeats at the hand of Usyk.

Tyson Fury and Joshua make up the other two names on that list.

The Ukrainian superstar is also overall now 8-0 against an array of British greats which also include Tony Bellew and Derek Chisora.

Usyk named a short-list of potential opponents for his next outing which included Fury, Chisora, Joseph Parker and Joshua.

The 35-year-old shared a story on Instagram showing his respect for his two-time rival.

It saw him describe Usyk as having ‘legacy, identity, focus and family’.

The picture saw Usyk with a Ukrainian flag draped around him, as he reflected on yet another headline-writing win.

Joshua also took the opportunity to tag famous 2017 rival Wladimir Klitschko, with the pair also sharing huge respect after their iconic duel.

AJ hasn’t been in the ring since he suffered a brutal KO defeat to Dubois last September.

His promoter, Eddie Hearn has recently revealed to talkSPORT that he will return before the end of the year.

He recently had surgery on his elbow, but has yet to announce exactly what his plans are for his return.

Joshua ideally wants to face Fury next and finally settle their rivalry.

But Fury shared his request for a trilogy match with Usyk instead as priority as he believes he can be the man to beat the undefeated star.

Should the pair enter the ring again, it won’t be until 2026.

A successful title defence would only further cement his legacy as the greatest heavyweight of the past two decades.

After his recent victory, the legendary star has been compared to the likes of Lennox Lewis and Muhammad Ali.

Simply no-one is able to beat the elite technician right now, and a new batch of challengers will fancy their chances.

Turki Alalshikh even suggested that rising star Moses Itauma could be in line next to make a fast jump to the top dog in the division.

Anthony Joshua is yet to announce his return to the ring but watched Oleksandr Usyk knock out Daniel Dubois.

Anthony Joshua has expressed a sense of missed opportunity following Oleksandr Usyk’s knockout victory over Daniel Dubois. Dubois faced a crushing defeat at Wembley on Saturday night and was stopped in the fifth round by Usyk, echoing the moment 10 months prior when Dubois claimed a KO win over Joshua. With this triumph, Usyk reclaimed his status as the undisputed heavyweight world champion for the second time against a British opponent.

Joshua, out of action since last September, is poised for a comeback later in the year. Eddie Hearn, speaking to The Stomping Ground, revealed that he had messaged Joshua after Usyk’s win, saying: “Yeah I did. I text him saying, number one: Usyk is unbelievable. And number two: We really should have beaten Dubois,” to which AJ responded with: “I know.”

While Joshua’s next opponent remains unconfirmed, there’s growing buzz around a potential bout with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. The American watched Usyk continue his undefeated streak ringside at Wembley and squared off with the Ukrainian in the ring post-fight. However, Paul’s immediate ambition lies in a match-up with Joshua, aiming to stage it at the iconic national stadium.

“It’s going to happen, it’s going to happen,” Paul declared to talkSPORT. “I want it to happen here (Wembley). All the odds stacked against me. I believe that I will beat him and shock the world and create one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.”

Hearn has disclosed his intention to hold further talks with Nakisa Bidarian, the CEO of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. “It sounds like Anthony Joshua is going to fight Jake Paul,” Hearn declared.

“If he is true to his word, if he really wants the fight… the fight will happen. I can’t believe… its great that Tyson Fury is saying Jake Paul is going to win… maybe I’ve lost my mind.

“If they truly want the fight, I’m going to speak to Nakisa next week, we can make the fight that does the biggest numbers in the sport. Forget Canelo vs Crawford, it doesn’t touch the surface of AJ against Jake Paul.

“If you want to do the biggest numbers in the sport, we will make it happen, but be careful what you wish for. This ain’t a game, this ain’t a YouTube video, this isn’t numbers or algorithms, this is physically dangerous.

“But if you want to do it, we’ll do it. I’m not going to argue about it, I’m just telling Jake Paul this is real and he has to understand the consequences that come with a fight like this.”

Anthony Joshua Reacts To Oleksandr Usyk Knocking Out Daniel Dubois For The Second Time

Oleksandr Usyk cemented his position as the best heavyweight of his generation with a demolition of Daniel Dubois in their rematch.

The Ukrainian became a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion by beating Dubois in even more emphatic fashion than he did when they first met in 2023. On that night he stopped ‘DDD’ inside nine rounds, but this time, in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley, he knocked the Brit out four rounds earlier after a dominant performance from the first bell.

One man who was a keen observer was former Usyk and Dubois foe, Anthony Joshua. Speaking to ‘The Stomping Ground’ promoter Eddie Hearn revealed his conversation with ‘AJ’ in the wake of Dubois’ performance, with the former champion replying ‘I know’ when told he should have beaten ‘DDD’ when they met in September.

“Yeah, I spoke to AJ. I just text him and I said number 1, Usyk is unbelievable and number 2, we really should have beaten Dubois and he goes ‘I Know’.”

As for who’s next for Joshua, who’s last fight saw himself stopped by Dubois, Hearn now thinks Jake Paul is the most likely option.

“I think right now to be honest with you in this bizarre world where we just saw Jake Paul facing off with Oleksandr Usyk, what is going on? The pound for pound number one fighter in the world is facing off with Jake Paul.

But it sounds like AJ is going to fight Jake Paul, if he’s true to his word and really wants the fight, it’s all very well saying ‘he’s got a weak chin and I’ll knock him out’, listen if he’s true to his word the fight will happen. If they actually want the fight then we can do the fight that does the biggest numbers in the sport. Forget Canelo vs Crawford, that doesn’t even touch the surface of AJ against Jake Paul.

If you want to o the biggest numbers in the sport we’ll make it happen but please be careful what you wish for, this ain’t a game, this is physically dangerous, so if you want to do it be careful but we will do it.”

Another possibility for Joshua is a long-awaited clash against Tyson Fury, although ‘The Gypsy King’ has made it clear he wants one more crack at Usyk.