Anthony Joshua believes he is owed respect in the boxing world, whether he beats Oleksandr Usyk in their rematch or not.
The Brit is a two-time unified heavyweight world champion, and has beaten the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Andy Ruiz Jr, Joseph Parker and Dillian Whyte. But he feels he isn't given the requisite respect by fans and experts in the sport, and should be held in higher regard even if he loses his next fight.
Joshua has twice lost his belts, first to Andy Ruiz Jr in the summer of 2019, and then in September last year when Usyk thoroughly outboxed him in London. But there is an argument to be made that, of the top heavyweights, he may have the most impressive CV, although Tyson Fury has beaten Deontay Wilder twice.
And in an interview with JD Sports, Joshua reiterated his desire to be respected, saying: “I feel like I’m not getting looked at as someone who is a dominant heavyweight in the division.
“ Anthony Joshua, look in the mirror, yeah, that’s me, the guy, ego and that. This big Anthony Joshua goes and wins becomes three-time. I'm going to dash these belts because you've got to learn to respect me as a person. I’m tired, I don’t want to be respected because of the belts I hold, I want to be respected because of the man you see.”
The last time Joshua lost his belts, he took them right back in a Saudi Arabian rematch with Ruiz just months after being stopped. But the oddsmakers have him as an underdog to repeat that result against Usyk, given the nature of their last fight.
He has enlisted a new trainer in the American Robert Garcia, who has coached 14 world champions in his storied career, and moved his training from Sheffield to London. Weeks out from the fight, he has arrived in Jeddah to acclimatise for what is a make-or-break showdown.
Joshua spent his whole professional career, as well as most of his amateur days including winning Olympic gold, under Rob McCracken. But he has opted to go a new route for this rematch after touring America in search of a new flavour to add to his training team.
Do you believe that Anthony Joshua will beat Oleksandr Usyk in their world heavyweight title rematch? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
"Texas, Fresno, LA, I saw a lot of coaches everywhere before choosing my new trainer," Joshua told JD Sports. "And there were coaches that I didn’t get to see, but he was the standout. Robert Garcia is a bad boy coach. All these heavyweights are training because they want to take what you have so you have to train like you haven’t got anything. As a fighter, it’s important to stay in the gym all year round and I’ve known the fighter I’m fighting, so the approach to the fight has been leading towards the date.
"When I first turned pro, I did my first few training camps in Eddie’s [Hearn] back garden. That’s where we first started. Then, I moved to Tony Sims’ gym, for probably the first two or three fights, and then after that, I was allowed to train in Sheffield. I’ve been a pro for nine years, so for about seven or eight years I’ve been in Sheffield and this is my first time training out of there. But for 11 years, I trained with Rob [McCracken]."
