There was a time not too long ago when Anthony Joshua was talking about retirement. In fact, just ahead of his previous fight against James Franklin, Joshua publicly claimed that if he loses, he will walk away from the sport. Luckily that didn’t happen as the 33-year-old defeated Franklin via unanimous decision.
After taking an indefinite break from boxing to dwell about his back-to-back losses against Oleksandr Usyk, former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua believes that when examining a fighter’s game, one must look at their unique characteristics.
For instance, Joshua has received criticism for not exerting more pressure on Jermaine Franklin to be stopped, but Joshua claims he is a far more cerebral boxer who thinks in detail while fighting. Joshua in an interview with Sky Sports said,
“I’m quite tall, I’ve got a long range but I’m not going to be a bruiser. If you look at my character, I’m not the most aggressive, outwardly type of person, I’m not a fighter – I’m more of a boxer, there’s a thought process, there’s a method behind the madness.”
He continued “I’ve always tried to develop my boxing IQ but over 12 rounds there are times where you have to fight and I want to become a box fighter…The man who has a plan A, B and C in his locker because he can use his jab, he can move around, he knows how to defend – I think he’ll have more of a chance to be victorious on a tough night.”
What’s next for Anthony Joshua?
According to Joshua himself, a mega heavyweight showdown between him and the ‘Bronze Bomber’ is what he is looking for. Talking about the possibilities of that fight, Joshua said,
“In December potentially there is a big fight that should be cracking with me and Wilder. It has been a long time coming. There are a lot of moving shapes at the minute, so one step at a time. But it has been a long time coming, for sure.”
Previously on many occasions Joshua has expressed his willingness to fight the ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury. That fight might not be directly on the charts as of now, but for Joshua a win against Wilder would massively strengthen his case to fight his fellow Brit in near future.
