Anthony Joshua insists he’s relishing the chance to prove himself again ahead of Dillian Whyte clash
Anthony Joshua insists he is enjoying the chance to prove himself again as he claims he will ‘overcome’ his career setbacks and settle his score with domestic rival Dillian Whyte next month
- Anthony Joshua has lost two of his last three fights and is looking to rebuild
- He believes he is on the right track and can return to the top of the division
- He will play domestic rival Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena on August 12
Anthony Joshua has insisted he put his career on the right track ahead of his huge domestic showdown with Dillian Whyte next month.
The 33-year-old is looking to rebuild after back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. He returned to winning ways by defeating Jermaine Franklin in April, but turned in a lackluster performance that drew criticism from fans and pundits.
That fight was his first under new trainer Derrick James after Joshua decided to leave the comforts of home to team up with the American in Texas.
Since they had failed to star against Franklin, questions have been raised about whether the change in scenery has benefited Joshua.
However, the two-time world champion is happy with his current set-up and feels he is doing everything he can to get back to the top of the heavyweight division.
Anthony Joshua (left) believes his decision to team up with Derrick James (right) will pay off
Joshua defeated Jermaine Franklin in April, but failed against his American opponent
“The great thing about sport is that there is always another chance to prove yourself, so no matter what happens there is a process that I follow and I just know that if we look at history, everything will work out for me.” , he said. .
“I just have to ride the wave, stay consistent, stay focused and if the opportunity arises… everyone can write you off, but if you believe in yourself and continue your journey, you will be 100 percent victorious.
“Only you can beat yourself. Not anyone else.’
Joshua claimed he would quit if he lost to Franklin, but now he doesn’t seem to be planning to hang up his gloves anytime soon.
After making a name for himself as a knockout performer in the early stages of his pro career, Joshua has now gone nearly three years without a win.
There are doubts that Joshua still has the wickedness that saw him dominate the blue-riband division of boxing, but he doesn’t think he should be written off just yet.
“If I give up and I think, ‘Yeah, I don’t have it anymore,’ you can say I’m not the same fighter. But I just know this is going to work,” he continued.
“People look at you like you’re crazy, which people are probably thinking right now, (asking) “why isn’t he aggressive?” I just know that what I’m doing will work at the right time.”
Joshua’s next Test is against fellow Briton Whyte at a sold-out O2 Arena on August 12.
Their first meeting in the professional ranks came eight years ago, when Joshua knocked out Whyte with a vicious uppercut in the seventh round.
Joshua takes on Dillian Whyte in a rematch from their thrilling first fight in 2015
Joshua isn’t sure Whyte has improved since then and has questioned why his rival has changed coaches so frequently in recent years, but admits it won’t be an easy night in the capital.
What Dillian lacks in certain areas, he makes up for in others. Has he improved? I don’t think he’s improved a lot, but he’s kept his standard,” Joshua concluded.
“Look how many times he’s changed sneakers. He has changed coaches so many times. Maybe he’s not developing at the pace he needs, or people aren’t teaching him the things he needs to learn and it’s not good enough. He probably knows it himself.
That’s probably why he’s moved trainers around so often. I was thinking about this yesterday. He was with Okoh, Tibbs, Xavier, Buddy McGirt, Johnathon Banks, but one thing he’s got is the fight and in America they call it the dog. He’s got the dog in him.’