If we take Anthony Joshua at his word, the heavyweight division could be in for some explosive, exciting nights over the coming years.
The two-time unified champion sat down with TNT’s Laura Woods to promote his fight with Otto Wallin on the massive upcoming ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia.
Asked to describe Tyson Fury, Francis Ngannou and Deontay Wilder with a single word and to then describe how fights between he and his heavyweight rivals would play out, Joshua spoke about his peers more candidly than we are used to hearing.
After describing Fury as a “diva,” a relaxed Joshua spoke freely about how and why he would beat ‘The Gypsy King’ if and when they meet.
“Good fight. Too quick, too strong, he can’t lean on me, can’t throw me about and I’m explosive. I can knock people out. I knock a lot of people out.
“No, it won’t be early, he’s a good fighter but I’ll be there. I’ll be there 100%.”
How about Francis Ngannou? The former UFC heavyweight champion shocked the world by dropping Fury and giving him all the trouble he could handle during their crossover ‘Battle of the Baddest’ in October. Fury may have been far from his best but Ngannou’s remarkable performance was arguably the most eye-catching professional debut of all time and the Cameroonian made sure that he will be a high profile and extremely lucrative option for the top heavyweight fighters for the foreseeable future.
“Inspiration,” said Joshua when asked to describe him. “His story. If you can’t take motivation from that and inspiration, I don’t know what would drive you in life. What a story he has.
“War. The first man to land is going out. The battle of the body builders. Tyson Fury can stay at home.”
Finally, Joshua was asked about his long time rival and co-star for next week’s extravaganza in Saudi Arabia. Joshua and long time WBC champion, Deontay Wilder, have circled each other for close to a decade. Although both fighters have suffered defeats, it seems impossible to imagine a fight between them being anything other than a don’t blink shootout.
The plan is clear. Should Joshua get past Wallin and Wilder come through a tricky looking test against former WBO champion, Joseph Parker, a fight between the two most explosive elite heavyweights in the world should happen next year.
“Bronze,” Joshua said when asked for one word to describe Wilder in a clever play on his ‘Bronze Bomber’ nickname. “Not gold. Just general. You’re not gold.”
Despite his lengthy and spectacular highlight reel and proven fight ending power, Joshua isn’t sure whether Wilder would hit any harder than Ngannou but believes that the fight would indeed be a short, violent affair.
“The same as Ngannou [a war],” he said.
“You know what it is in heavyweight boxing? Every heavyweight hits differently. Some have got a thudding power. Some have got a slapping power. Some have got a punch that you never see coming. There’s a variety of different power so I don’t know.”
