ANTHONY JOSHUA is no longer content with just beating his opponents… he wants to completely iron them out.
Joshua has never had any issues with stopping power in his decorated career, which is destined to one day land in boxing’s Hall of Fame.
Rendering his opponents unconscious, however, seemingly became a secondary objective for the 34-year-old after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk left his career on the knife edge.
But he’s followed up his cagey return to winning ways against Jermaine Franklin last April with emphatic stoppages of Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
And the Watford warrior is now focused solely on securing showstopping finishes, which wasn’t the case shortly after he joined the professional ranks.
As he rewatched his 2014 knockout of Matt Legg at Wembley, where he throws down with fellow Brit Daniel Dubois later this month, he said: “It’s crazy.
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“I don’t even put much into the punches. But they’re devastating.
“But the difference is. now, I want to flatline people if I can.”
In stark contrast to his decimation of Legg, AJ’s eagerly anticipated domestic dust-up with Dubois will take place in front of 96,000 fans.
The IBF heavyweight title will be up for grabs, as well as the chance for AJ to become a three-time world champion.
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Joshua knows all too well what’s at stake in his return to the home of English football, which has been a happy hunting ground for him over the years.
But he’s refusing to think about hearing veteran announcer Michael Buffer proclaim his as the “new” holder of the prestigious IBF strap.
When asked if he’s processed the prospect of becoming a three-time heavyweight champ, he replied: “Inshallah [God willing].
“We’ll see, I don’t like to talk about what’s going to happen.
“Do you know what it is: I watch a lot of stuff, I watch a lot of boxing and I see people make bold predictions.
“And [they] say this and say that. And what matters is the result. Let me get the job done.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
