Anthony Joshua admits he wanted time to resolve if he needed to hold on boxing after his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in 2024. The reply? He does.
The 2-time heavyweight world champion marked his return to the ring with a sixth-round knockout victory over YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Miami on Friday night time.
Joshua instantly adopted up the win by reiterating his want to combat Tyson Fury in a long-awaited all-British showdown.
“I had a tough defeat in 2024 and I just want to pick up and move forward again,” mentioned Joshua. “So yeah, I’m glad that I got back in the ring and I figured out that this is where I want to be.
“It was an actual check for me to determine if I nonetheless wish to proceed or not, and this was a great eye-opener that that is the place I wish to be, that I wish to get again within the ring and go once more.”
Joshua’s return was unorthodox, a bout between him and Paul rising as one of the crucial controversial within the period of crossover clashes.
Nonetheless, Paul barely laid a glove on the previous Olympic champion earlier than struggling a double jaw-break from Joshua’s devastating end.
“I needed to do better. I needed to do better,” mentioned Joshua after the combat. “Yeah, it’s a win, but it’s not a success. I think my coach expects more from me, and I expect more from myself.
“However what can we do? We won’t reverse the clocks. I’ve to maneuver ahead. I’ve to place that previously now.
“After today, you may see a bit of social media trying to lap up all of the algorithm attention, but for me, it’s in the past. I can’t live off of that win. I’ve got a lot of improvement I need to do. So, yeah, I’m not happy.”
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Highlights of AJ’s win. Jake vs Joshua is now out there to look at globally solely on Netflix
In the course of the build-up to the combat Joshua had willingly accepted a accountability to characterize the game of boxing whereas looking for to finish the ‘Jake Paul Present’, the social media sensation having fought each Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez Jr. in his earlier two fights.
“There was a lot riding on this fight. A lot of pressure, a lot of expectations, so I had to perform,” he mentioned. “A lot of people doubt me. I saw (WBC President) Mauricio Sulaiman put a picture up of Jake, he don’t put a picture up of me.
“Lots of people do not respect me so there’s lots of stress, and I had boxing on my again, and that was what it was actually, I took Jake as severe as I wanted to, however most significantly, I take myself as severe as I have to. I respect myself, I respect boxing.”
Joshua’s subsequent steps had been unclear and unsure after he was sensationally stopped by Dubois within the fifth spherical of an exciting combat at Tottenham. It could take the next 12 months to reset and regroup in view of his subsequent goal, notably working with Oleksandr Usyk’s workforce forward of his combat with Paul.
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The most effective bits from Joshua’s post-fight press convention. Jake vs Joshua is now out there to look at globally solely on Netflix
“I was trying to fall back in love with boxing,” he mentioned. In the event you’re a household man, I realised that I used to be working away from residence, I needed to sort of search for the selections I used to be making, and I needed to come again residence to boxing, and I needed to sacrifice. I had to check out my life, make essential modifications to place my love again to the game.
“This sport is unforgiving, if you don’t give 100 per cent attention, those belts will be torn away from you and be put on someone else’s waist, who gives it a love and attention that boxing needs – and I wasn’t giving it enough love and attention.
“It wasn’t that I stepped away as a result of I did not wish to combat, I stepped away as a result of I knew if I’ll be in boxing, I should be 100 per cent and that is what it was.
“I gave myself a year. I said, ‘I’m going to give myself a year’ and on September 21, 2025 the year was done. We normally do a 12-week training camp, September 21, October 21, November 21, December 19 – three months of training, and we get straight back in the ring.
“For me, it was an ideal plan, and I do not wish to begin dropping my focus now and go and begin socialising, and let’s get lit, you are popping proper now.”
