Dubai: Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua says he’s already helped bring boxing back to a golden age, even before next year’s planned mega-fight with Deontay Wilder.
The 28-year-old Briton broke Muhammad Ali’s 39-year record for boxing’s biggest indoor attendance last month, when he beat Carlos Takam in front of 78,000 at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.
Having also beaten Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley in April to retain his IBF title and assume the WBA and IBO belts, he now wants to become the first man to unify the IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO titles by beating both WBC champion Deontay Wilder, and WBO holder Joseph Parker, next year.
Whether he does that or not, is irrelevant, he says, because the bigger picture — that of boxing’s health — is already assured.
Speaking to Gulf News in Dubai on Sunday, where he will wrap-up the monthlong Dubai Fitness Challenge at Festival City this weekend, he said: “When I turned pro there was no interest in boxing because there was a recession in the world and a recession in boxing.
“But we’ve built that economy back up in boxing, and we have definitely taken boxing back to the golden era for sure,” said the 2012 Olympic gold medallist, who turned pro the following year. “We’ve not done it alone, but in the heavyweight division, we have definitely played our part.
“I can proudly say that boxing is in a good place, because I’ve seen the transition,” he added.
Along with Wilder and Parker pencilled into next year’s schedule, Joshua could also meet former champion Tyson Fury, who was stripped of his titles and hasn’t fought since a failed drugs test after beating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015.
But now comes the business of confirming all those fights, and Joshua says he’s already tired of the inevitable twitter spats, having already put ‘unfit’ Fury firmly in his place with an uncharacteristically direct tweet on Friday.
“When I fought Klitschko he wasn’t on social media saying ‘I want to fight Anthony’, we worked on it behind closed doors, got a deal done and then announced it to the public. That’s how a true professional does business.
“With the new era of boxing and what I haven’t got respect for is athletes like that,” he said in an obvious jab at Fury.
“Fights can happen and I’ve been taking these fights since my 15th contest,” said Joshua, who is unbeaten in 20, winning all 20 by knockout. “2018 is just around the corner and I hope a lot of people’s dreams come true with fights becoming a reality.
“I just hope we can make things happen. If not, my boxing still kind of moves forward and fights will happen, it’s just a case of when.”
Wilder, aged 32, is unbeaten in 39, winning 38 by knockout, and as such the American poses the greatest threat to Joshua’s unification dream. Asked why he thought he could beat Wilder, Joshua replied: “There are certain dreams that you have but can’t remember and others that you wake up from thinking ‘wow, that was real’ and I just feel I can beat Wilder for sure.
“The proof is also in the pudding. I’ve had a more stellar amateur career, and have a more stellar resume. The only thing I haven’t added to the pudding is the cherry on top and that’s the fight.”
So, if Joshua now beats Wilder and becomes undisputed heavyweight world champion, becoming the first to unify the belts, will he go down as the greatest?
“No, because you are never a true great until you finish, that’s when you are truly appreciated. We’ll be making waves, but a king can never sit down for too long.
“People will always want to come to battle you and if you are a king in your sport you have to go out and defend your front. If I do beat Wilder or Fury, who knows, Wladimir might decide to come back and then I have to get up and do it again. So, until I retire, I can never call myself a king or a great of my sport. I will have to continue, time and time again, to prove that.”
