IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua believes that he’s getting better with each passing year – which spells trouble for division rivals Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
Joshua plans to show off some new elements on June 1, when he faces once-beaten Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The ring return will be Joshua’s first fight in the United States.
The bout is part of the strategy to increase Joshua’s presence in the United States.
The unified champion explains that for the last two years, he been doing everything possible to improve any flaws that were evident in his huge win over Wladimir Klitschko back in April of 2017.
“I’ve got through with strength, guts and heart,” said Joshua to BBC Radio Five. “I’ve got away with mistakes. I realised I couldn’t continue my journey like that. After Klitschko, I thought ‘how many more fights can I have like that before the mistakes aren’t there any more?’ For the last two years, hand on heart, with my team; we spend so much time doing things outside of boxing, things that can drain me.
“How do we now train smart to become smarter in the ring? Less quantity, more quality. It didn’t happen over night. It has taken two years to implement it and this is the first camp we are really seeing it. Look at my last fight against Alexander Povektin. I was ill, tired, had a flu, had a headache. I was going through changes. It will be interesting as this is the first time I can express these things.
“The longer Wilder and Fury leave it, the tougher it will be for them as I am not the fighter of two years ago. Give me another year or two and I’ll develop that little bit more.”
Meanwhile, Joshua has concocted his own apple and raspberry brew with Lucozade. Each bottle of the energy drink will have Joshua’s face emblazoned on it alongside his motto ‘Stay Humble’ and a golden cap on top.
The isotonic carbohydrate-electrolyte drink has been designed by the sports and exercise brand Lucozade Sport to support everybody that is made to move, containing carbohydrates and electrolytes to enhance hydration and help maintain performance during endurance exercise.
“It’s not every day you launch a drink with your own face on it!” Joshua, who has been pasting his own billboards in Watford, said. “This is an exciting venture for me so I couldn’t help but get stuck in and put up the billboards myself.
“Lucozade Sport aims to support everybody that is made to move and I hope my new flavour will inspire even more people to get active.”
Joshua’s next fight comes on June 1 against Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in New York – with his IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO belts on the line.
Claire Keaveny, Head of Marketing at Lucozade Sport, said: “AJ has transformed British boxing and inspired the nation to fall back in love with the sport.
“Lucozade Sport has supported him on his journey from the very beginning, so we’re delighted to have collaborated with AJ on our newest flavour.
“We expect Fruit Punch to be a knockout hit as AJ continues to dominate the heavyweight division.”