Anthony Joshua has vowed that he will retire from boxing on Saturday evening if he loses to Jermain Franklin in his comeback fight at the O2 Arena.
The former two-time world champion will return to the ring this weekend to face the American heavyweight after suffering successive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua is looking to make a statement at the ‘Lions Den’ and record his first professional win since December 2020 when he beat Kubrat Pulev via TKO.
Nigerian born British boxer was scheduled to fight Tyson Fury in a bout in November or December, however, the fight never came to fruition due to sponsorship issues. The 33-year-old would later opt to face Franklin come Saturday at the O2 Arena in Greenwich in London as he hopes to upturn his bad run of form, after losses to Oleksandr Usyk in August of 2022 and get back in contention for the titles.
“I will retire if I lose,” an excited Joshua said when asked about a possible end to his career
“I’m not here to battle people. If people want me to retire I will retire. I’m not going to fight if people don’t want me to.”
“It’s not even about the money. It’s about the competitor in you. That’s what’s important.”
Speaking on his post-retirement plans, Joshua indicated he was going to enjoy himself despite the pressure he has had to bear in his career
‘I know when I am retired, I am gonna be chilling,” he said,
‘You lot put so much pressure on me so when I am done, the chains are going to be gone. I am going to be laughing and loving life.’
He also tried to downplay Franklin’s chances claiming his opponent needed the fight more for his career resurgence.
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