Anthony Joshua feels only after he is able to defeat the reigning unified world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch on 20th August he will get the recognition of being a “true boxing legend”.
Anthony Joshua’s first encounter with Usyk, the then WBO mandatory challenger back on 25th September last year at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London ended in a huge upset for the Briton, AJ lost the fight, making Usyk the new WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion.
Despite being the heavy favorite ahead of the fight, the Briton had a hard time against Usyk, and the former undisputed cruiserweight champion heavily outboxed Joshua in the later rounds to secure the win via unanimous decision and clinch the four-belt crown.
I’ll make sure I get it right and become champion again: Anthony Joshua
Now, the rematch, set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is on the calendar less than two months away and Joshua believes only after avenging the loss from the first match, he will earn back the reputation and admiration he deserves.
“I feel when I go and beat Usyk, I’ll get the credit I deserve again. And I’ll get the admiration for being a true boxing legend. I fought for the heavyweight championship in my 16th fight; I felt like it’s kind of overlooked,” Joshua said in an interview with ESPN, “This is my 12th title fight in a row… I just feel like sometimes even though we’re selling out arenas and it’s good to be popular, I don’t really care for that stuff. I’d just want the respect in the division.”
“I’m not just gonna go in there thinking it’s gonna be easy. I will address the weaknesses and then I’ll make sure I get it right and become champion again. I think it’s a task that’s definitely possible,” AJ went on, “Now, it’s all about, ‘oh, he’s not good enough anyway,’ so that’s the motivation to prove I’m good enough. Cause when you are doing it and you’re on top, it’s hard to get the credit.”
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