Anthony Joshua revealed a surprising retirement plan that will happen soon
Heavyweight Anthony Joshua is a two-time unified champion who has enjoyed a massively successful career. His reign lasted a total of five years with 9 successful title defenses from 2015 to 2019. Joshua shockingly lost all his belts in 2019 against Andy Ruiz Jr. but successfully defended his titles on the rematch. After that, AJ defended his title once more before meeting one of his matches. His two fights against Oleksandr Usyk were the first sign that Joshua‘s time at the very top was at an end. Even though he still hasn’t confirmed he is retiring for good, Joshua just offered some shocking news.
Talking to GiveMeSport, this is what AJ said: “I’m baffled, I’m an old man, where’s the time gone? So I always look at it like I’m not at the start of my career and I’m not in the middle, I’m at the end. So that’s how quick time has gone, I’ve gotta really make sure now I put in the most work I’ve ever done and make these last years count. My greatest achievement hasn’t been reached yet. It will be when I make it out the other side of the fight game. I personally always thought I would probably cry when boxing is done, because I put a lot into it inside and outside of the ring. I always felt like why I would be emotional after is because I would have reached the ultimate high because I made it through a very dark, tough industry.”
Anthony Joshua’s unfinished business in boxing
At 33 years of age, it may be true that Anthony Joshua made the decision to talk about this possible retirement but he will always have a chip on his shoulder. While he was the champion for many years, there was also Tyson Fury recovering from addiction and mental health problems. During that time, Anthony Joshua couldn’t possibly feel he was the best Heavyweight in the world. His two straight defeats against Oleksandr Usyk proved that. But that wasn’t everything those losses proved. Anthony Joshua showed all the weaknesses he has as a boxer.
For as long as both Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk stay active, Anthony Joshua’s title reign will remain in doubt because he never fought the contenders that could truly challenge him. Now that he doesn’t have any more titles to carry, Joshua could attempt to make a triumphant return to a title shot. However, he has actively rejected the chances given to him by Tyson Fury. Joshua clearly wants to slowly try to leave the sport of boxing over the next few years. Despite being only 33, he feels he has given everything to the sport.
