Anthony Joshua rubbishes Retirement talks if he loses

Ibrahim Adeleke

Nigeria born British pugilist and two time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, has rubbished talks that he might be forced to retire should he lose the all-important rematch to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.

Joshua, 32-years-old, suffered his second career defeat last September, when Usyk outboxed him over twelve rounds to capture the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight belts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Joshua suffered his first career defeat in 2019, when he was dropped four times and stopped by Andy Ruiz.

However, six months later he regained his straps with a dominant twelve round unanimous decision in the rematch which also took place in Saudi Arabia.

While Joshua was the favorite in the first encounter, he’s widely viewed as the underdog in the rematch.

Usyk is viewed as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport  which is why Joshua feels it’s nonsense to suggest retirement if he loses the second meeting to the Ukranian boxer.

“I’m competing with a pound-for-pound fighter,” Joshua told AFP.

“I’m not losing against some has-been. It’s crazy to suggest I should retire. If I would lose to one of the top fighters of the world today [people would say] ‘Oh he should retire, he lost to one of the best’. What type of nonsense is that?

“If people really want me to walk away, then cool. I ain’t begging no one. People always ask questions and they’re entitled to their questions. For me personally, I still want to compete. I love it. It’s challenging, but I love the challenge. Sometimes I question whether I want to do it, it’s that hard. It’s not an easy job but I’ve got the will, I’ve got the strength to keep on pushing.”

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