Anthony Joshua Says He’s ‘Still On The Road To’ Trying To Become Undisputed Heavyweight Champ
Anthony Joshua says he is still focused on becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Joshua is set to return to the ring on August 20 in Saudi Arabia as he will rematch Oleksandr Usyk for the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO titles. The Brit lost his belts to Usyk last September and now is having an immediate rematch as he looks to become a three-time heavyweight champ.
“God is good, even through the tough times. The hunger is still there,” Joshua noted to the assembled press on site for the kickoff press conference Tuesday in Jeddah (h/t BoxingScene). “Through the tough times, we stay hungry. We just keep the motivation high. We’re still on the road to undisputed, for sure. This is just a little blip in the road. We’re focused on the target, which is sitting over there. I’m focused on the goal. God willing, I’ll perform and I will become three-time heavyweight champion of the world.”
Anthony Joshua lost his title the first time to Andy Ruiz Jr. and then beat him in the rematch before losing his titles to Usyk. He has proven he can rebound from a loss before and now he plans to do just that again on August 20.
“With Andy Ruiz, a lot of people could see before the fight that things were not 100%,” noted Joshua in describing his previous experience in overcoming a career setback. “You’ve got to be strong, have thick skin and take our loss like a man. When I win, I keep it moving, I thank everybody. When you lose, you have to stay humble in defeat. I kept it moving and knew I could come back again.
“The fight with Usyk, he busted my ass for some rounds. I have to take that defeat like a man as well. I hold myself accountable, admit when I’m wrong and hold my head high when I’m right. The fight in September, I was wrong and he was right. Simply, I have to reverse that role on August 20. I don’t like to overcomplicate things. Sometimes, there’s simplicity in genius. I just have to keep things simple and keep moving forward,” Joshua concluded.
Who do you think will win Anthony Joshua or Oleksandr Usyk?
