Anthony Joshua has candidly shared the challenges he has faced throughout his boxing career as he prepares for his IBF world heavyweight title fight against Daniel Dubois at Wembley this Saturday.
At 34, Joshua aims to reclaim a world title for the first time since his initial defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021. In a recent interview with the BBC, he discussed the emotional and physical struggles of striving to return to the top of the sport, especially after suffering another loss to Usyk in August 2022.
“I’ve worked hard and endured a lot of pain to improve,” Joshua stated. “I hope those experiences won’t repeat themselves because, as you saw that night after the second Usyk loss, I really don’t like losing.”
Since that setback in Saudi Arabia, Joshua has rejuvenated his career with decisive victories over opponents like Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and most recently, Francis Ngannou, whom he knocked out in Round 2.
“I believe I have a natural gift for fighting and competing. Boxing allows you to read your opponent’s tendencies, so I always keep an eye out for that,” Joshua explained. “However, there’s a higher level to which I can elevate my skills, and I’ve really focused on that over the past eight to ten months.”
The highly anticipated clash with Dubois will take place in front of 96,000 fans at England’s national stadium. The winner is likely to secure a prime opportunity to face either Tyson Fury or Usyk next, depending on the outcome of their rematch scheduled for December.
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