Anthony Joshua has insisted he hasn’t thought about a potential rematch against Oleksandr Usyk yet, saying he’s glad he now has no distractions ahead of his heavyweight title fight against Daniel Dubois.
Joshua headlines a historic British tournament at Wembley on Saturday, where he will take on ‘Dynamite’ Dubois for the IBF title in front of a record 96,000 fans.
The match is the latest for the British star on his road to redemption after two straight defeats to Usyk, the second in December 2022.
The 34-year-old enters the fight on the back of recent victories over Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou. Now Joshua Dubois is looking to add to that list as he continues to rebuild his career following the Ukrainian star’s setbacks.
When asked about a rematch with Usyk, who he could face if the Ukrainian world champion defeats Tyson Fury in their second fight in December, Joshua told Mail Sport: ‘I’m not really thinking about that at the moment.
Anthony Joshua spoke to Mail Sport’s Charlotte Daly at the Grand Arrivals event on Tuesday
‘Daniel Dubois is a challenge enough. I’m not thinking about Usyk, I’m 100 percent focused on the job at hand. I haven’t had many distractions this time and I can focus completely on Daniel Dubois. That’s a blessing.’
In an exclusive interview with Mail Sport, Joshua also spoke candidly about what he calls success and how his life could have turned out very differently.
If Joshua beats Dubois on Saturday night, he will join the elite group of three-time heavyweight world champions, as well as boxers like Lennox Lewis and Muhammad Ali.
A win would also give Joshua a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title, setting up a thrilling showdown with the winner of the hotly anticipated rematch between Usyk and Tyson Fury in December.
Joshua insisted he has not thought about a possible rematch against Oleksandr Usyk
But how does Joshua really measure success? Speaking to Mail Sport he said: ‘The best way to measure success is to get through a training camp. That in itself is difficult. To get through without injuries and to be healthy because you do a lot of fight training and that’s difficult.
‘Getting through training camp is a blessing. Success is sleeping well. It’s something that’s underestimated. Honesty, those are the two things that I think about and they’re the two things that I’m happy to have.’
The former heavyweight champion once found himself on the wrong side of the law, getting into trouble as a young man. His most serious offense came in 2011 when he was arrested for possession of cannabis with intent to sell.
At the time, Joshua’s boxing career was starting to take off. He was part of the GB Boxing team and had already shown himself to be a standout amateur.
Saturday’s match is the latest on the road to redemption after two consecutive defeats to Usyk
But the arrest was a major setback and during this turbulent period Joshua came under the care of Ian Duberry, his young offenders officer. Duberry played a crucial role in guiding Joshua through a difficult time.
Duberry worked closely with Joshua to keep him focused and on track, recognizing the talented boxer’s potential alongside his flaws,
And Joshua will be reunited with Duberry on Saturday night as he is part of the Dubois team.
“Yeah, having Ian Duberry around definitely makes me think about what life would have been like without boxing,” Joshua said.
Joshua to fight ‘Dynamite’ Daniel Dubois for IBF title in front of record crowd
‘Life would still have been fun, there would have been less pressure on me, but considering where boxing has taken me and what it has matured me into, I am absolutely grateful for the sport.
“I had other responsibilities when I was younger, but becoming a boxer made me a man. Although life was fun living on the edge, I can now say I’m a man. I was a boy then. I’m a man now. I make manly decisions.”