‘Joshua not thinking of losing or retirement’ 

When Anthony Joshua enters the ring at the O2 on today to try America’s Jermaine Franklin for size, losing and retiring from the sports that has brought him fame and fortune are two things the 33-year old 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist won’t be thinking about.

Joshua, who’s coming off the back of two successive points loses of his former World Heavyweight titles to Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk, has since those defeats changed trainers. After losing the September rematch against Usyk in Saudi Arabia, the former champion pitched his tent with Derrick James, in Dallas, Texas. James, who has in his stables, the unbeaten world welterweight champion, Errol Spence Jr and others, has mainly asked his new charge to go back to the basics of boxing.  

Writing in his “Big-fight diary” for the London Evening Standard on Wednesday, Joshua said he neither agrees with those seeing today’s fight as a “comeback,” nor does he share the views of those who think it’s game over if he loses to his younger opponent.”

A lot of people are understandably talking about this as a comeback fight- and l totally get that- but l don’t see it that way.

“And some people are saying if l lose then that’s it, game over for me.”

Again, l don’t see it like that, partly because losing is never on my mind.” The former champion said fighting Franklin is not just a part of his journey, but also “the next chapter.”

According to him: ”this is just the next chapter in my story, but it feels like the start of a long run, “and “one l’m confident will also prove to be a long run of success.”

He asks in the column, “When is the end?” He then provided the answer, saying: “l don’t know, but I see myself boxing for another three or four years and it feels like there are a lot of big fights ahead.”

Though an overwhelming favourite to claim the scalp of the American, Joshua said he’s not taking the fight “for granted.”