JOSHUA: I’VE GOT A TIGER IN MY TANK
WORLD heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants to join a select band of modern sporting immortals by ruling for 10 years.
Three months on from his epic stoppage win over Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley (below), a November rematch in Las Vegas beckons.
After unifying the WBA Super and IBF titles, Joshua dreams of leaving a similar legacy to Roger Federer, Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan by remaining on top for a decade.
“You think it’s been tough getting there, now it gets real tough, now it’s about longevity,” said Joshua. “It’s how long I keep it up.
“How do I get to the level of Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and Michael Jordan?
“They were just kids starting out, there wasn’t somebody who picked them to be any different. How can we take boxing to a whole new height in 10 years?
“I want to see how far I can take it.”
Joshua is keen to do a more polished, perhaps less thrilling, job against Klitschko in the rematch, aiming for more “finesse”. But the 27-year-old is determined to entertain, as well as succeed, even if it comes with added danger after Klitschko taught him to “walk through fire”.
He said: “I could say, ‘I want to knock him out’, but the boxing head will say, ‘We’ve got to go 12 rounds and I’ve got to be dominant’.
“If you give me exciting fights, I’ll fight you again. One thing about having a sporting career is that you need defining moments to test your character, and people don’t just see your ability.
“People want to see who you are underneath the muscles, who you are as a character. They can see it all on the flesh, but they can’t see your heart.
“Klitschko gave me a chance to overcome a situation that I’ve not been in before, that’s why I’ll definitely fight him again.
“Now I know I can walk through fire, I can walk through it with confidence.”
Anthony Joshua joined Lucozade Sport, the UK’s number one sports drink brand as they entered the water market for the first time, at the launch event for FitWater.