Anthony Joshua has no intention of quitting

Not long ago, boxing superstar Anthony Joshua’s career seemed to be coming to an end. But after a series of victories, things are now looking very different.

On August 20, 2022, Anthony Joshua was at the end of his rope – both physically and mentally. In Saudi Arabia, exceptional talent Oleksandr Usyk had beaten him on points for a second time. Too much for “AJ”.

First, the Briton threw the Ukrainian’s world championship belt out of the ring in complete frustration. Then, during an interview with Seilgeviert, he grabbed the microphone and let loose with a wiry tirade.

At that time, quite a few experts predicted an imminent end to Joshua’s career, the complete stop of the AJ Express, which once smoked so much money.

But the Englishman pulled himself together. In 2023, Joshua won three fights in a row. In his first victories against the Americans Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius from Finland, the former champion seemed reserved, “gun shy” as the Americans say.

Shortly before Christmas, Joshua, under the guidance of his new trainer Ben Davison, impressively dismantled the Swedish southpaw Otto Wallin in five rounds – the “old”, aggressive boxing AJ of earlier days was back. In March, Joshua cemented this impression with a resounding KO over former UFC champion and Fury scare Francis Ngannou.

Boxing: Mega-Fight Joshua vs. Fury in the sky

“I think if you look back at the fights against Oleksandr Usyk, you might have said: how many fights does he have left? Three? Five?” Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn reminded “talkSPORT” of the once less promising prospects of his protégés. “Well, we’ve had four fights since then and now we’re still saying: five more. It’s fight by fight.”

Hearn said he had never seen his compatriot “enjoy boxing so much”. “The preparation, the team. It’s simple but effective. I think he’s really found his rhythm with Ben (Davison, ed.).”

Joshua will face IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois on September 21 at Wembley Stadium. The winner of the “Battle of Britain” will face heavyweight king Usyk, who will face Tyson Fury again at the end of 2024.

If Joshua wins, Saudi boxing mastermind Turki Al-Sheikh already has a completely different fight in mindNo matter how Fury vs. Usyk turns out – “I want to see Fury vs. Joshua and the world wants to see Fury vs. Joshua,” he stressed.