Anthony Joshua is gearing up to become a three-time world champion this Saturday. Joshua is all set to take on Daniel Dubois for the IBF world heavyweight title at the Wembley Stadium. After losing his unified title to Oleksandr Usyk, ‘AJ’ has returned to winning ways and is unbeaten in his last four fights.

His impressive run has impressed many, including former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. ‘The Last Stylebender’ is hoping that ‘AJ’ keeps his winning momentum going and has even placed bets on him. Let us take a look at the details.

Israel Adesanya picks Anthony Joshua as his next favorite for the upcoming bout

Israel Adesanya has placed a bet of $10,000 on the heavy favorite, Anthony Joshua, before his highly anticipated clash through Stake. The pair have been seen sharing backstage moments and also share a common Nigerian Lineage and Yoruba heritage. Adesanya took to his X account to reveal the message with a post which read, “OGUN!! The fight got beef..grab the @Stake sauce.”

According to the betting slip shared by Adesanya on Instagram, the 35-year-old believes that Joshua will win the fight between the 10th and 12th round. Joshua typically stops the battle before the tenth round, based on his recent records. Nonetheless, Adesanya will be eligible to withdraw $50,000 if his forecasts come to pass.

September 21 is the scheduled date of the highly anticipated boxing event, which is anticipated to attract approximately 96,000 spectators. Anthony Joshua has been the subject of Adesanya’s wagers before. For those who don’t know, when Anthony Joshua faced Otto Wallin in 2023, he wagered $10,000 on “AJ.”

‘The Last Stylebender’ came through on the bet after Wallin’s corner decided to throw in the towel in the fifth round. It will now be interesting to see whether the former middleweight champion can pick the correct winner this time around. While Adesanya is excited about the fight, the former champion is facing a torrid time. His UFC 305 loss has not only raised questions about his retirement, but he has also lost his place in the ‘P4P’ rankings.

Israel Adesanya finds himself out of the ‘P4P’ list after his UFC 305 loss

The ‘P4P’ list is designed to highlight the best MMA fighters in the world without taking into consideration their weight class. Israel Adesanya once found himself on the list, but things have now taken a massive toll. John Morgan, in the month of August, shared a ‘P4P’ list on X where it was mentioned that “DDP” moves up five positions to the No. 6 spot on the P4P list. Israel Adesanya falls to No. 15.” The reason is that Adesanya had taken a break from the sport to help his body recover from the beating he had been taking.

However, he failed to impress everyone on his return and lost his title fight against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305. Just like most former champions, Adesanya also faced a lot of criticism for his performance, and many even pointed out that it was the end for him.

Adding to his miseries, the 35-year-old doesn’t find himself in the ‘P4P’list anymore. Freak.MMA took to their Instagram page to share the details, which read, “Israel Adesanya is no longer on the list. Aljamain Sterling enters the top 15. Belal Muhammad and Sean O’Malley are tied at the 6th place.” 

After his fight, Adesanya made it clear that he would definitely come back and fight for the title soon. But do you feel a fighter of his caliber deserves to be thrown out of the ‘P4P’ list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.