Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MURRAY’S THE REAL KNOCKOUT
Joshua: Don’t compare me to Andy.. he’s been at the top for a decade and I have just arrived
ANTHONY JOSHUA says he can’t be compared to Britain’s top sports star Andy Murray.
The tennis world No.1 and three-time Grand Slam winner has won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year a record three times. Joshua claims boxing-fan Murray is far ahead of him because he has been successful for over a decade. The new unified WBA, IBF and IBO heavyweight champion says his next challenge is to match the Scot’s consistency. “Andy Murray?” said the unbeaten Joshua, who won Olympic gold with Great Britain team-mate Murray in 2012. “Compare me to what he’s done? Nah, he’s been doing it for a lot longer and at a higher level. I’ve only just arrived. “He’s been doing it for a long time so big respect to him. He deserves all the credit he receives because of how long he’s been in the sport. “I’ve met Andy a few times and he’s a big boxing fan. I think he will have enjoyed watching my fight wherever he was.” Joshua wants to rule the heavyweight division for the next decade, like Wladimir Klitschko did, and claims he has overcome his toughest challenge in beating the former world No.1 in 11 rounds. He says he would win a rematch more convincingly if Klitschko decides he wants another shot. “If I fight him again, I beat him better and then move on to the next guys in the division and they won’t be 50-50 fights,” he said. “I won’t be in a fight like that again, against a guy like him again.” Joshua, 27, is guaranteed greatness because of his epic win over Klitschko in front of a record 90,000 people at Wembley. But he does not feel he will ever be regarded as a legend alongside the likes of Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. “Nah, I’ll never be regarded like that because there are too many opinions now,” he said. “They didn’t give Klitschko the respect he deserves, you know what I mean.” Joshua is still loved and Elton John and rapper Dr Dre, whose headphones he wears, rang him to wish him luck before the fight. “I was baffled and shocked,” he added. “It’s just inspirational. I thought, ‘How am I speaking to Dr Dre?’ We spoke to Elton John too. “He sent a message, saying he would like to speak to me to wish me good luck. He’s a Watford man too. That felt surreal, Elton John wanting to talk to me. “He’s had to cancel some shows because he’s been ill, but he was going to buy the pay-per-view and watch it. I started laughing when he said that and said, ‘No illegal streams I hope’!”