Anthony Joshua Walks Back Comments About Retirement
Two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony “AJ” Joshua (24-3, 22KO) shocked the boxing community by promising to retire if he losses to Jermaine Franklin (21-1, 14KO) on April 1. Well, it seems AJ did not mean it literally. In any case, he has zero interest in any public debates over the topic.
After losing consecutive fights to unified champion Oleksandr Usyk, several boxing fans suggested AJ may retire. Joshua is ready to enter the ring with a new trainer in 3kingsboxing.com 2022 Trainer of the Year Derrick James. The two-time unified champion is hearing the retirement word again, and he accepted it as a possibility upon being defeated.
RELATED: Anthony Joshua: “I Will Retire If I Lose To Jermaine Franklin”
JOSHUA EXPLAINS THE TRUE REASON FOR MENTIONING RETIREMENT
In an interview with iFL TV, Joshua was very candid about not having the energy to debate the whole retirement conversation.
“I don’t debate with people about my career . . .I’m not going to feed you that energy. I haven’t got the energy for it, to be debating why I shouldn’t and the facts of the stats of other people that have come back. I just don’t entertain it. So, I’m like, ‘okay, yeah I will retire if I lose’, and that just puts an end to the conversation.”
“I’m not going to debate with someone about my career who has no real understating of where I’m trying to go and what I’m trying to do.”
Agree or disagree with this statement, but Joshua has a valid point. Boxing fans don’t know what game plan was discussed by the fighter and his team regarding the direction they are going. Yet, a defeat to Franklin would be a major setback that would be very hard for Joshua to overcome.
