Demsey McKean to Face Anthony Joshua in April 2023 Return Bout?
There has been plenty of speculation about the future of two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs). Word on the street is that Joshua will return to the ring on April 1 in London, England. One name to surface as a potential foe is Australian heavyweight Demsey “The Machine” McKean (22-0, 14 KOs).
FINGERS CROSSED
During an interview with the news outlet International Boxing News, McKean revealed that his team is currently in negotiations for a match with Joshua.
“I’m one of the frontrunners for this fight. Hopefully, it can be made. Obviously, it’s a life-changing fight for myself. A win here can do amazing things for my career – set my family up.
I could potentially be a winner for a world title fight. So, it’s massive. The only thing that could be holding us back is being a southpaw . . . Hopefully, AJ can man up and take this fight against another southpaw.”
McKean is a 32-year-old southpaw from Queensland, Australia. Currently ranked tenth by the WBA and eleventh by the WBO, he is a former Muay Thai and MMA fighter. The Aussie eventually transitioned to boxing and has been fighting professionally since April 2014.
Joshua is coming off back-to-back losses to reigning unified heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 and August 2022. AJ is looking to get back to his winning ways. The last time Joshua won a fight was when he scored a tenth-round stoppage over then-mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in December 2022.
Team McKean is confident that a deal will be finalized. This is a developing story, so stay tuned to 3Kings Boxing with continual updates.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
