Anthony Joshua has made it clear his aim is to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world.
Joshua lost his titles for the second time in his career to Oleksandr Usyk back in 2021. Unlike when Andy Ruiz Jr took his belts in 2019, this time ‘AJ’ wasn’t able to regain them in the rematch.
After those back-to-back defeats to the Ukrainian, Joshua hired his third coach in as many fights, Derrick James.
Their first outing together was against America’s Jermaine Franklin and, although it got the Brit back in the winning column, it wasn’t the statement performance fans had been hoping for.
Speaking about the fight on his YouTube channel, Joshua said winning was all that mattered.
“You need to take one step to start the race and that fight with Franklin was the first step in mine.
We’ve got a long way to go in terms of where I want to get to, but I’m in the race. The most important thing was to get the in the race.
There is nothing better than winning. Winning isn’t everything, winning is the only thing.”
Discussing where the last stage of his career may take him, the former two-time champion wants to push himself to ‘higher highs’.
“What am I doing this fight for? I want to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world, I want to test myself, I’ve been through a lot and I want to see what I have left to give.
When I say ‘what I have left to give’, I am not resting on what I have, I am building on what I have and I want to see how far I can take myself. I know what it takes, I know what this game is about and I’m going to push myself beyond the limits where I’ve been before, hence why I find myself in Dallas. I’m trying to find an environment that can stimulate me, motivate me and push me on to higher highs.”
Joshua looks likely to fight Dillian Whyte next on August 12 and, if victorious, will finally face Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia this December.