ANTHONY JOSHUA has no intention of retiring after vowing to work harder than ever to salvage his career.
The 33-year-old, once British boxing’s golden boy, aims to bounce back from back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in his April Fool’s Day bout against 6ft 2in minnow Jermaine Franklin.
After last August’s second loss on points to Ukraine hero Usyk in Saudi Arabia, AJ had a meltdown and knew he had to make changes.
Now he claims he is more serious than at any other stage of his career ahead of the fight at London’s O2 Arena.
Under former coach Robert Garcia, Joshua previously refused to move his training camp to California.
But he now accepts a switch Stateside to prepare in Texas with new trainer Derrick James is a positive move in his quest to return to the top again.
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When asked if he had thought of retiring, he replied: “Not really.”
But did the two-time world heavyweight champion ever have doubts following the double defeat to Usyk?
Joshua lost his WBA, IBF and WBO world titles in the first loss to the Ukrainian and will be looking for his first win since 2020 against Franklin, 29.
The 6ft 6in Watford boxer said: “I worked hard for that second Usyk fight but I have to work harder.
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“To be good is one thing, to be very good is another. I worked extremely hard. I had him praying in his corner. He was praying to God, that’s how much he wanted it.
“I have to work harder. That’s what Derrick does, he makes you work hard.
“Sacrifice is gaining, it’s so tough. I thought the other day, ‘Is he not seeing that I’m dying here?’.
“I realised I can’t feel sorry for myself because I think I’m going to get something out of me.”
Joshua’s preparations in Dallas are a far cry from his old bases of Sheffield and Loughborough.
He revealed: “I am not in Texas to have fun. I am a serious person. I am not there for anything else.
“One thing is for sure, though, throughout my career this is the most serious I have taken it, in terms of my food, sleep and training. I am not there to go out for coffee or talk bulls**t, I am there to f***ing work and get ready for a fight.”
So it is unlikely you will see the father-of-one falling out of nightclubs or into any of the other traps some sports stars fall prey to.
AJ admitted he had to cut back on his social life and big-money business pursuits to make sure he is taken seriously as a heavyweight challenger again.
He explained: “People ask where my head is at, is my head in the game? But I always go to the gym and get ready for a fight, all boxers do. The difference is I have to put my heart back in the game.
“I always wanted to build an empire so I would never have to look back at stupid decisions.
“But I made a conscious decision last year to get rid of those distractions and focus only on boxing — and I have definitely got that fire back again.”
Joshua’s critics will insist he has never been the same since the brutal stoppage defeat he suffered to Andy Ruiz in 2019.
There have always been rumours that he carried an injury or a concussion into that shock upset loss.
Joshua explained: “I still feel fresh and young. I am not war-torn.
“Looking at the first Andy Ruiz fight, giving no excuses, you could see from the ring walk that something wasn’t right but I have never spoken about it.
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“If people want to live off that then they can live off that but watching them fights off the TV is different to stepping into the ring with me.
“I will do my part to put on a spectacular show for the viewers on April 1.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
