ANTHONY JOSHUA has recovered from losing his undefeated record and world titles.But if he suffers a third professional defeat in a career-defining rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, then he faces dropping out of boxing’s elite — and will struggle to return.
Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk face off in JeddahCredit: AP
AJ is staying positiveCredit: Reuters
AJ lit up the nation when he grabbed gold at London 2012, became world champ after just 16 fights and was a bonafide superstar with the 2017 Wembley win over Wladimir Klitschko, another Ukrainian heavyweight.
His impact on British boxing is huge, having helped rebuild an entire industry.
All of the recent British 2022 Commonwealth Games athletes still worship him and some of our most exciting pros are guided by his management company.
In lockdown, he personally helped keep amateur clubs alive with kit and cash donations.
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But in the fickle and fast-moving sport, so much of that good work would be overshadowed by a second consecutive defeat to boogeyman Usyk in Saudi Arabia.
Tyson Fury would return from his latest dubious retirement to face Usyk for undisputed No 1 status.
And former sparring partners and young pretenders like Joe Joyce and Daniel Dubois would fancy their chances of feasting on the carcass of 32-year-old AJ’s once-glittering career.
Divorced from decade-long broadcast powerhouse Sky Sports after this fight — and tied to struggling streaming start-up DAZN — mainstream promotion would be drastically reduced for non- title fights against has-beens and also-rans in an attempt to rebuild his career.
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If all of these stark possibilities are in the minds of even his most devoted fans, how is the father-of-one coping with the enormity of this physical and psychological tinderbox?
He said: “It’s a pressure to sharpen me, definitely. It’s a motivation.
“It’s a big fight but one I feel I’m positive I can win. My mind’s right, my heart is in the right place. I want to kind of raise my heart rate.
“I want to do things in the ring that will make me believe in myself.“I’m sure if I do those things, I should be victorious. And that’s just where my head’s at.”
Even at the impervious peak of AJ’s heavyweight rampage, the Watford superstar would admit to expecting a few defeats in the long, winding and bumpy road.
The first, in 2019 against Andy Ruiz Jr, was a shock KO he avenged six months later.
🥊AJ vs Usyk 2 confirmed fight time, TV and live stream info for Saturday’s blockbuster
And the second was a drawn-out and punishing unanimous decision loss in September to Usyk, a southpaw genius few people believe AJ can outsmart or bully.
The stunning trajectory of his learning curve has smashed into a brick wall.
He said: “Muhammad Ali, considered the greatest of all time, he lost.“If you look at the past you can kind of figure out where you’re going to go.
“I just thought I might take a loss one day. So, when it did happen, because I’d already thought about it, I knew how to deal with it.
“It’s a fine line, winning and losing and I just understood what would happen if I did lose and that I’d just come back, rebound, and try my best again. Now I refuse to lose — that’s my mindset.
“I refuse to be hurt, to be knocked down, to be knocked out. I just refuse any negative situation in the ring.
“I declare victory already, that is just my mindset.”
FOCUSED OR FIGHTING ANXIETY?
Eleven months ago, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Joshua told brilliant anecdotes in the build-up and posed for photos with friends inside the glitzy venue on his Hollywood-style ring walk.
Now in Saudi Arabia, where he seems to have been pushed and pulled in the direction of all the rich royals who have bankrolled his latest mega-fight, it is hard to tell if he is focused or fighting a new wave of nerves and anxiety.
He said: “I definitely feel nerves for this one because I want to win it and I want to perform well.
“So it’s understanding nerves and then transitioning the nerves once the ball goes into focus.
“Nerves are good if you understand them. I like Cus D’Amato [Mike Tyson’s legendary trainer], who spoke about nerves and using them and understanding those types of things, confidence and fear.
“Now I understand what nerves are, you can manipulate it and use it to your advantage.”
The three-time WBA, IBF and WBO title challenger has the height, reach, age and power advantages.
He even claimed Usyk’s irregular southpaw stance was the only thing that separated them so widely last time.
So he accepts back-to-back defeats to a shorter, lighter and less powerful fighter will likely be the rivalry that defines his career forever.
Up against a man three years older, AJ added: “That’s just the reality of it.
“And you can’t hide from it but use it as motivation. Don’t shy away from it, just understand the situation.
“Just focus on the win and then all that stuff, the legacy, the belts, the good stuff that comes with it, will come.
“So simplify it, just get in there and do my job. That should be enough.
“I put my own pressure on myself so I don’t want to add any more weight on my back when I’m going to the ring by thinking ‘I can become champion, if I do this or I do that’.
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“The championship belt does not define your victory.
“In that ring, I don’t give a s*** if you’re the champion, it’s just me versus you.”
Usyk stands in AJ’s way of reclaiming his beltsCredit: PA More
