Joshua opens up on painful career journey
Anthony Joshua has spoken about the "pain" he has experienced in his professional boxing career, ahead of his IBF world heavyweight title fight against Daniel Dubois at Wembley on Saturday.Joshua, 34, is attempting to reclaim a world title for the first time since his first defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, and spoke to the BBC about the internal challenges of returning to the sport's pinnacle, especially after falling short again against Usyk in August 2022.
"I've worked hard and been through a lot of pain, and I've worked hard to get better," according to him.
"Hopefully, those experiences won't happen again because, as you saw that night [after the second Usyk loss], I don't like losing."
Joshua has rehabilitated his career since his defeat in Saudi Arabia in 2022, defeating Jermaine Franklin, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin, and, most recently, Francis Ngannou with ease. In his last fight, Joshua brutally knocked out the former UFC superstar in Round 2.
"I believe I am gifted with the ability to fight and compete. In boxing, you can read certain tendencies and your opponent, so I always keep an eye out for that," Joshua said.
"There is, however, a higher level that you can attain. And this has happened over the last eight or ten months. I've really worked on those skills."
Joshua's fight with Dubois is set to take place in front of 96,000 fans at English football's national stadium, with the winner likely to face either Tyson Fury or Usyk next, depending on the outcome of their rematch in December.
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