Joshua Reveals His Higher Purpose For Boxing – ‘I Want To Fight For Charities’
Anthony Joshua says he has plenty of motivation to fight as he prepares to face Daniel Dubois on September 21.
Joshua has the chance to become a three-time world champion by winning Dubois’ IBF belt. A win sets him up for an Undisputed Heavyweight Title shot with the winner of the Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury rematch, who face off on December 21. Joshua was close to fighting for undisputed when he was in talks to face Deontay Wilder. But negotiations broke down, and both men lost their belts, as fans missed out on the fight.
Joshua recently said he has two years left in the sport, putting the pressure on him to secure the biggest fights before he retires. While undisputed would cap off a glittering career, Joshua says his focus has now changed. His motivation is fuelled by the desire to give back to the community. He has created generational wealth for himself and his family, so the focus is now on helping the next generation.
Joshua Reacts
“One of the main reasons [to fight] right now is my community. I want to fight for charities because I want to set up sustainable charities…I believe in sustainability and creating an ecosystem and I fight now not just for myself — because I have everything I need, not in the sense that I’ve got everything I need, but I’m quite settled with what I need.
“I’m good, I’m happy, I’ve got my tracksuits in abundance, I’ve got my trainers in abundance, I’m blessed. So it’s more so now, we’re trying to create something to help other people…I’m fighting with the spirit of thousands of people that I’m trying to help behind me. So it’s just not for myself,” Joshua said
Joshua often does not get enough credit for how he helped transform British boxing. His London 2012 Olympic gold set the foundation. His profile helped sell out stadiums, while his knockout style made Britain the home of British boxing for a period. Joshua also offered fighters life-changing money, given the amount he was generating. His commercial value still holds to this day, with Joshua being the A-side in most fight negotiations.
Joshua On Dubois
He is a former two-time Unified Heavyweight Champion. However, Joshua is criticised for not beating the elite-level fighters. His biggest win against Wladimir Klitschko. But Klitschko was not the same fighter, having already lost to Fury, as he was at the tail end of his career. Joshua came up short when he boxed Usyk twice. However, under the direction of his new trainer, Ben Davidson, Joshua expects to write more chapters in his story. The focus was on getting past Dubois first.
“[I have to be] probably better than my absolute best to beat Daniel. I respect him as a fighter. Yeah, I do. He is very, very talented and I like the — I look at the pros in people and I like family, the synergy with his family. It plays a part, it plays a massive part, the influence that families have in a fighter’s career. I think that is helping Daniel along the way,” Joshua added
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