Anthony Joshua (Watford, October 15, 1989) is one of the great heavyweight champions of recent years. For a long time he was the reference in the heavyweight category and is willing to regain his throne for the third time, as Muhammad Ali did.
The English fighter has a plan to regain glory and it involves facing Tyson Fury in a fight that the boxing world craves. AJ, who has been a reference for the American brand Under Armour for years, stars alongside UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett in the campaign Be The Problem:Two fighters. Two disciplines. One mindset.
You’ve been working with Under Armour for a long time. How have they helped you become the boxer you are today?
In everything, from the boots to the recovery, my style, the pajamas, in all aspects, really. That’s why I joined Under Armour years ago, because they really helped me in my performance, in my running shoes, in my style, in the 360… If I’m honest, it’s been a blessing to be their partner.
What would you like to do next year, but what do you think will really happen?
I’m going to get ready to fight. I’m going to succeed in my fight. I’m going to get the momentum back. And people are going to start seeing that I’ve got the eye of the tiger. Then we’ll announce a big fight, and there will be a lot of questions, but I’m going to come through. I’m going to be very fit. I’m going to defeat my opponent, I’m going to hit him and I’m going to hurt him.
Do you really think the fight against Tyson Fury is possible?
I think it’s very possible. I think it’s more possible now than ever. He has no options anymore. He has to fight me.
Why doesn’t it have options?
Because he wants to fight. I think he enjoys it, but I feel like he has no other options. Who else is he going to fight? He doesn’t like… He doesn’t fight a lot of champions and people want to see him fight the best, so you can’t fight lower level opponents your whole career. He can fight Wilder, Klitschko, Usyk, but it’s not enough. We need more. We need Joshua, we need Parker, we need… You know, all the other heavyweights. Zhang, we need Agit Kabayel, we need all these guys. We need to fight each other. So I’m one of the best in the division and I’m happy to fight Tyson Fury.
Fury has no options; he doesn’t fight many champions and people want to see him fight the best
I always wanted to see him fight Deontay Wilder. Is that still possible?
First Fury would be fine. First Fury. Let me concentrate. But the job for Wilder is definitely possible.
Do you think you can be world champion again or is that no longer your main goal?
That’s actually my main goal. If I’m honest, I would really like to become world champion. I would love it.
And Tyson Fury is in his way.
Even if I’m not champion, beating Tyson Fury is like winning the championship. But for me, having the belt will always be the most important thing.
There has been talk of a fight against Jake Paul. Is it possible?
Yes. You know, in this life anything is possible, especially in boxing.
He will win that fight. Everyone knows that.
Yes. Well, bring it on. Let me fight. It’s an easy fight. I’ve had too many tough fights. I need some easy ones.
Jake Paul? It’s an easy fight. I’ve had too many tough fights. I need some easy ones
It seems like it’s an easier fight than against Ngannou, who was a real fighter with a career.
Yes, exactly. Although Ngannou was a real fighter, boxing is this. [He gestures measurement] Look at this. This is Ngannou (below). This is Joshua (above). You have to have experience here and you have to experience here. Jake Paul is somewhere in between. And if he got in the ring, it would be very difficult, very difficult.
You’ve been world champion for a long time. What do you think has been the best and worst thing about it?
The best thing is that you never expect this to be part of your life. So if it happens, it’s a blessing. And the worst thing is trying to be consistent. The worst thing is losing. If I’m honest, yes, that’s the worst thing. Yes, but the best thing is to get there, it’s not the destination, but the checkpoints. It’s getting to the checkpoints.
The worst thing about being a champion is when you lose: the best thing is not the destination, but the journey
What has been the highlight of your career? The Olympic gold medal, the fights against Charles Martin or Klitschko…?
The best moment has not yet come. But I know what it will be. The best moment will be when I retire. That will be the best moment. In the past? The best moment is when you sleep well. It’s true, isn’t it? [Jokes] In boxing? For me, maybe when I won the championship for the first time [Charles Martin]. It was a really good experience, a nice moment. Yes.
Your fight with Klitschko was at Wembley Stadium and the atmosphere was incredible. How do you remember that?
It was very hard. Very hard. How did I feel seeing that? It taught me that when people encourage you, you have to be humble because fights are like that. For some, that’s entertainment, but for you it’s like a real-life war, a real-life drama. And it just showed me that I have to… I have to try harder. People keep telling you you’re amazing because you beat Klitschko, or you had a good fight and you won, but I say: no, no, no, no, the next one is going to be the same. And I need to try harder.
People tell you you’re amazing because you beat Klitschko, or that you had a good fight and you won… I say: ‘No, I need to push myself harder
You have had a lot of success, but you have also experienced defeat. How did you feel mentally at those times?
Yes, defeat is… A lot of people give advice to those who are going through difficulties. I get a lot of advice and I feel like I can come back. Everyone loves stories where someone comes back to the fray. And I feel like I have the energy and the mindset to do it. So I take my time and I know that if I push myself, because I’ve done it before, I know what to do in those cases. And as long as I do what I have to do, I think fate will give me what I want.
I understand that you went to a place where you spent four days alone in a dark room. What did that experience teach you?
Your body is tired, even if you don’t realize it. But I think people need a deep rest. Not just rest, but a very deep rest. Because they’re always on the move. So it was very good. It taught me that we don’t spend enough time talking to the people we should, the people we care about. So when you get away from everyone and have time to think, you really think about what’s important. And the body needs to recharge, the body needs to recharge. We are like a battery. Throughout life, you start, then you recharge as you grow, and then as you get older, it starts to go the other way around, you start to get tired, etc. And you really need to take time to take care of yourself. So I think the darkroom was a good time to recharge if that’s what I wanted. It was interesting to be without much entertainment, without vision and without anyone to talk to. But I think that time to recharge was important. I think a lot of people, if they can, should try it. Yes, I think it was good.
I spent four days in a dark room and it was good to recharge my batteries. It taught me that we don’t spend enough time talking to the people we care about
What will happen when you retire? Do you have any plans?Yes, I think I’m going to go into business, but not too much because it’s very stressful. And then I’m going to take a lot of care of my health, focus a lot on my health because of my work, as I’ve suffered a lot of impacts and traumas. So I’m going to heal my body. Recharge. I’m going to recharge again.Two weeks in the dark?
Yes. Honestly, yes. Why not? I will. No doubt about it. That’s how my retirement will be. To heal my body.
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