NEWS: REFOCUSED ANTHONY JOSHUA READY FOR 'WHOEVER' IN 2023

By: Jay Calderon

Heavyweight contender Anthony Joshua finds himself in a unique position in his career.

For the first time since April of 2016, when Joshua defeated Charles Martin for a portion of the title, Joshua finds himself looking to step into the ring without a world championship on the line.

After twelve consecutive title bouts, Joshua was soundly defeated by current world champion Oleksandr Usyk in August, for a second time in a row. Now, Joshua looks to regroup and rebuild his career at the age of 33, knowing he won't be immediately involved in the title picture.

However, while Joshua admits it has been an adjustment, he enjoys the possibilities of making exciting fights in the near future.

"I like to see my name constantly mentioned amongst other fighters," Joshua told The Sun. "The opportunities are always there for me, there are big opportunities to fight. I'll fight whoever's ready, I'm ready and we'll get cracking in the New Year. I want to be consistent, be fit to fight, and everything comes off the back of that."

"When I lost, I was finally out of the race and overcoming that was a new beginning. [It's] something I've been used to, being in the title race for seven years, and then finally realizing that this isn't my norm anymore. It's challenging to overcome that," admitted Joshua.

Part of overcoming that new normal is addressing the vacancy Joshua currently possesses on his training team. After working with Robert Garcia for the Usyk encounter, Joshua is on the move once more, rumored to be searching America for a new voice in his corner on fight night.

What is refreshing is hearing a fighter admit that a rebuild will be in order. How successful that might be depends on the fighter, but acknowledging that fact at least means he has a chance of it going well.

Still, as Joshua mentioned, he's still one of the biggest names in the Heavyweight division -- and the sport, in general -- so, big fights will be there provided deals are able to be made. Rumors have suggested a rematch with British rival Dillian Whyte could be in play for 2023, which seems a bankable and winnable fight for the Brit, as he looks to get back to winning ways.

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