Australian heavyweight Demsey McKean has revealed that his camp has been in talks with the former heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, for a potential match, and he could be Joshua’s first opponent in 2023. McKean further said that he believes he would be the one to retire Joshua. 

Joshua has not won a fight in two years, and McKean currently has an unbeaten record from 22 fights. Joshua has two career losses, and two of them, his last two, were in the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, who defeated him to become the new WBO, WBA, and IBF heavyweight champion. 

Speaking to Sky Sports, McKean had a lot of nice things to say about AJ, including the fact that AJ still had a lot of fight in him, despite his recent losses. He also added that Joshua does not get enough credit as he should, even though he was largely responsible for bringing more money into the sport. 

McKean began by saying that “we are one of the frontrunners for a possible opponent for Anthony Joshua.”

He went further: “I could be (the man to retire Joshua), and I am very confident I can do that. But don’t get me wrong; there are still more fights for AJ. If he loses to me, a top-10 heavyweight as well, that shouldn’t be the end.

“People probably don’t give him the credit he deserves, what he has done for the heavyweight game. He has brought a lot of eyes and money into the heavyweight division.

“He is probably the biggest name in boxing; everyone is after him, including me. It is the name to have on your resume. There are still fights to be made, and people are still going to pay to watch those fights. But three losses in a row, does he need to keep doing this? He is well set up now?”

McKean also lamented the state of the sport, saying that some of the big names in the game were quite picky about who they fought against and how it was affecting the sport. 

For McKean, fighting Joshua, whether it ends in a win or loss or draw, would boost his career and give him the boost to face other top-ranked fighters.

Leon Osamor