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Anthony Joshua is confident he can get back at Oleksandr Usyk when they meet again inside the ring on August 20 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Ukrainian soundly beat Joshua via unanimous decision in September last year. But this time around, ‘AJ’ is confident he can even the score with Usyk and earn the respect he deserves.
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In an interview with ESPN, the 32-year-old Brit said:
“I feel when I go and beat Usyk, I'll get the credit I deserve again. And I'll get the admiration for being a true boxing legend... I fought for the heavyweight championship in my 16th fight; I felt like it's kind of overlooked.”
He added:
“This is my 12th title fight in a row... I just feel like sometimes even though we're selling out arenas and it's good to be popular, I don't really care for that stuff. I'd just want the respect in the division.”
A win in August would allow Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) to become a three-time heavyweight world champion and reclaim the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles he lost to Usyk.
But he is up against a boxing virtuoso in the 35-year-old Usyk, who has excellent footwork and has been an Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion.
Anthony Joshua projects himself as the ‘comeback king’
Anthony Joshua certainly knows a thing or two about second chances.
In June 2019, Joshua suffered his first defeat as a professional boxer at the hands of Andy Ruiz via seventh-round TKO. That loss cost him his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO Heavyweight Titles.
Six months later, 'AJ' impressively reclaimed his belts by defeating Ruiz via unanimous decision. He successfully defended the titles against Kubrat Pulev but lost them again to Usyk in the next fight.
His roller-coaster journey in 2019, coupled with the setbacks he has overcome in his life, makes Joshua think positively about his upcoming rematch with Usyk. In a recent press conference, Joshua proclaimed himself as the “comeback king,” saying:
“When I was a youngster I got in a little bit of trouble now and again, and you know I was blessed with a second chance and I found boxing and I took it with both hands. So if you know me and a lot of my story, you can know that I'm the comeback king. You can put me down but it's difficult to keep me down 'cause I always keep my spirits high.”
Watch Anthony Joshua's full statement in this video by Matchroom Boxing:
