Anthony Joshua would rather have been inside the ring than merely watching on Saturday night. He saw his prospective September opponent, Daniel Dubois, beat Filip Hrgovic in Saudi Arabia, then witnessed his long-time nemesis Deontay Wilder surely reach the end of the line against Zhilei Zhang.
“I was hoping to get out on this card,” Joshua said. “A rest ain’t good. Get out, get active. We’re young, we keep firing away. But, unfortunately, I didn’t get this opportunity. They’re talking about September 21 [for my next fight], so in the back of my mind I’m getting ready.
“It puts things into perspective when you watch from the outside. [When I’m boxing] I just have this view of what’s in front of me, but [tonight] I had a view of the ring walks, everything behind the scenes, and it makes me realize that what I’m doing isn’t enough. It’s not about winning, it’s about dominating.
“I need to assess what I’m doing because, in the ring, everything comes out – what you’ve been doing, where you’ve been living, where your mind has been at. And I really want to dominate where I’ve been at.”
Speaking to DAZN at 4 a.m. in Riyadh (local time), while nursing what looked like bruising around his left eye, Joshua was reluctant to confirm what comes next, despite a return to Wembley Stadium in September looking likely.
“I’ve got to pick them off one by one,” he said about Dubois and Zhang. “It’s not going to be easy, but that’s my mentality. So come one, come all.
“Wembley, O2, York Hall – wherever they put me, I’m happy to fight. Any venue, I’ll turn up and do my job,” Joshua said.
He did allude to Dubois being the likeliest next opponent: “He’s been in tougher fights, so he becomes hardened. He’s worked his way up the ladder, so we’ll see what happens in the near future.”
As for Wilder, who looked shot to pieces when going down in five rounds to Zhang, Joshua retained an open mind.
“Come again if you want, but he’s got his family and there’s a life outside of boxing for him,” Joshua observed. “I enjoy fighting in London, I enjoy fighting out here [Saudi Arabia], I enjoy fighting in America. It’s a blessing, and it don’t last forever. That’s why I say it with Wilder, if he wants to go again, give it another crack. But sooner or later, Father Time will catch up with you – with everyone.”
Was it disappointing to see Wilder lose like that?
“Nah, it is what it is.”
