AJ ‘willing to die’ on his mission to walk with legends
ANTHONY JOSHUA has warned Daniel Dubois that he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice this Saturday night in his bid to join the elite company of three-time world heavyweight champions.
As he prepares to challenge his English compatriot for the IBF title at Wembley Stadium, Joshua said: ‘Dan is fighting someone who is willing to die in there trying to be victorious.’
The 34-year-old added: ‘Of course I know the danger. That is one thing with fighting.
‘But I’ve learned that it takes more than being strong to become a champion and a complete boxer. I truly believe from what I’ve studied and read and what great people who have come before me have said that there is much more to it than being a physical specimen.
‘That is a good attribute but when you come across someone who is willing to take that from you, when they are able to take your best shot, that is when you figure out what it takes to be a champion. I’ve done that.’
The inference is that the experience of all those survivals will count for more than the seven years in age he is giving away to Dubois, 27.
Joshua is also motivated by the pain of losing. The giant who wept in the wake of his second defeat by Oleksandr Usyk explained: ‘When you lose it hurts. You get low and it takes a few weeks to get balanced back. Time is the healer. When you win you’re on a high, riding that wave.’
If Joshua wins this weekend he will join Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Vitali Klitschko and Michael Moorer in the pantheon of three-time world heavyweight champions. He would also open the door to a long-awaited Battle of Britain against Tyson Fury.
It is no surprise, then, that he is determined to triumph. ‘I will give absolutely everything to be victorious,’ he said.
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