'I've never left': Anthony Joshua insists he's still at elite level of boxing

19/01/2024 17:51

Despite some high profile losses in recent years, Anthony Joshua believes he'll continue to be a top name in the sport.

Anthony Joshua had the world in his hands not all that long ago, as he held several heavyweight world titles to go along with an aesthetic that made him marketing gold. But a lot of the sheen on Joshua's career was lost following an unthinkable loss to Andy Ruiz.

From there Joshua worked his way back to regain his belts and stature, only two twice lose to a great, albeit much smaller, fighter in Oleksandr Usyk. Three losses over a three-plus year span is generally really bad news for a fighter who's supposed to be on the elite level of the sport, but as Joshua heads into a fight against Francis Ngannou he tells Sky Sports that he'll remain on the top until he's through with the sport.

"I've never left! I'll always be [there]. From the minute I've laced up these gloves from the amateurs until now, I've managed to keep my name at the top of the amateur scene and the professional scene. It's just the truth, it's just how it is, and I think it'll be that way until I don't want to fight anymore."

Joshua is undoubtedly closer to the end of his career than then beginning at this point, and while it's important to him to cement his legacy with additional hardware, he says he's still balancing the part where he wants to make big fights.