Former unified heavyweight champion Briton Anthony Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) spoke yesterday at a press conference – he officially announced that he would hold his next fight on April 1 at O2 Arena in London (England) against the American Jermain Franklin (21-1, 14 KOs) and answered questions from the media.
Joshua was asked to name his best fight of his career. By
opinion British, this is not at all an epic unforgettable fight with the legendary Ukrainian veteran Wladimir Klitschko: “I believe that my best performance was in Saudi Arabia in a rematch with Andy Ruiz. It was a very difficult time for me, because I lost all my titles to him in June. The problem wasn’t with Ruiz. She was in me. And I needed to solve this problem.”
Joshua surprised in the rematch – leveled the risks, boxed from a long distance, moved a lot, confidently won on points: “I have my own opinion about why I lost in the first fight. But let this opinion remain with me. The important thing is that I learned the lesson, drew conclusions. And I went out for revenge, despite the fact that the entire boxing industry unanimously shouted to me that it was not worth doing this, that if I lost again, I would have to end my career.
“That is why it was especially important for me to go out and show a real masterclass of boxing IQ and fully execute the plan for the fight. It was the fight for which it was necessary to prepare not only physically… But you remember how my body changed on the eve of the revenge (lost 5 kg)… It was primarily a psychological, mental challenge. Yes, boxing is not only a physical confrontation. It is also a mental battle, ”said the ex-champion.
And Joshua was also asked about the Usyk-Fury fight: an unusual heavyweight reaction. The Briton looked confident and did not try to play up. He sincerely admitted what motivates him in boxing – everything is prosaic.
