Anthony Joshua has reacted by talking about his potential retirement if he fails to beat Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this weekend.
‘AJ’ is hoping to regain the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight title he lost to Usyk in London last September this Saturday night – live on talkSPORT – but he is a heavy underdog in the eyes of many.
AFP
Usyk and AJ will face off again on Saturday night
Some people think this could be Joshua’s last fight. Most notably, former WBO heavyweight champion Johnny Nelson had a strong opinion on the matter.
He said Sky: “If Usyk beats him, I think he will walk away.”
“With this fight here, it’s so important for his career, because he knows this could be the last big fight he’s in.
“It’s not in his DNA to step back and be anybody’s keeper.”
Nelson’s comments didn’t sit well with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn who was baffled by the suggestion that Joshua could or should retire if he loses to the pound-for-pound king.
The man himself was much less angry when reacting to the retirement talk and claimed he would walk away from boxing when people no longer want to see him fight.
Merceica
Nelson thinks AJ will retire if he loses rematch with Usyk
Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Former WBO heavyweight champion’s comments didn’t sit well with Joshua’s promoter
“If the game doesn’t want me anymore [I’ll retire]. I don’t have to do this,” Joshua told talkSPORT.
Joshua accepts that being an underdog and losing fights is part of the sport when you compete at the top and is undeterred by his loss to Usyk last year.
“I do it because that’s all I know. This is my 12e back-to-back world title fight. I’ve been in world title fights 12 straight times and it happens [being underdog],” he added.
“If you constantly fight at the world level, you are going to meet people who are quality at the world level. I don’t fight people who are below average. I fight against elite people.
Joshua was deeply defeated the first time he met Usyk
Mark Robinson/Matchroom
Whatever happens in the rematch, the future is bright for Joshua who has signed with DAZN as the new UK broadcaster.
“This is my third Olympic gold medalist that I’m fighting. So it’s like I’m fighting good fighters, I’ve suffered a loss, I’m coming back. Like I said, if the game doesn’t need me anymore… We’re here to entertain.
Whatever happens Saturday night, ‘AJ’ is highly unlikely to retire from boxing after recently signing a multi-year, multi-fight contract with broadcaster DAZN.
For the next three to five years, he is expected to fight twice a year and potentially earn hundreds of millions of dollars from boxing.
Usyk vs. Joshua 2 on talkSPORT
