Anthony Joshua is ready for the next phase of his career. Speaking with Sky Sports News ahead of his must-win April 1 comeback with Jermaine Franklin, the former two-time heavyweight champion said he no longer had “anything to protect”, like in world titles or an unbeaten record. Joshua says he views himself as a “competitor” and is eager to see what it feels like to walk into the ring as one.
Joshua says that he is still “in search of greatness.”
“When you’re looking for greatness, when you’re looking for the best, you have to get out of your comfort zone and look and look,” Joshua said. “I ended up in Texas and Derrick James is a good coach among the many other coaches there. I felt like Derrick was a good fit for me. I see myself as a competitor. When you have the belts and you’re a champion, you have to fight a certain way. Because [you’re going against] Someone coming to take what you have. There are different mindsets of you trying to protect what you have. Now I don’t have anything to protect, so I’m going to come with a different mindset so that’s what’s different about it.”
Joshua could feel as if the pressure was on him right now. Hungry to get to the top again, Joshua could prove to be a much more resilient and confident fighter than he has been in some years. We’ll find out at night. But AJ understands how he needs to rebuild and says he will, starting with the Battle of Franklin; Being a fighter, Franklin, 33, says he “respects” and “will take seriously.”
Joshua will of course come under intense scrutiny in his latest fight, with his critics looking for any blemish that might surface during the fight. But Joshua seems to be doing very well now. Let’s hope he can pull it all together on the night and his partnership with Coach James works out. A lot of people say how AJ doesn’t just need to win, that he needs to look cool doing it.
Can Joshua get Franklin out and does he feel he needs to do so?
