Joshua: Everyone tastes failure in life; I could lose to Whyte

0
1210
Anthony Joshua

Anthony JoshuaUndefeated No. 2. WBC heavyweight contender Anthony Joshua has decided to take the high road regarding domestic rival Dillian Whyte’s latest verbal assault against him.

The Olympic gold medalist will fight Whyte given that he defeats fellow undefeated Scottish fighter Gary Cornish for the vacant British heavyweight title on Sept. 12 at the O2 Arena.

Joshua is a reserved man, and he’s not the type of guy to take part in trash talk. His trash talk is in the ring. Speaking with Sky Sports, Joshua wants Whyte to know that it’s not going to affect him.

“So because I’m a boxer, do you want me to walk in the room and smash up tables and throw chairs?” Joshua questioned.

“I’m not a made-up character. I’m just Anthony, who’s had a life, and has chosen to box.

“I’m not sure what Dillian means by that. I’m not good or bad; I’m just Anthony.”

“He’s just another opponent when I get past Gary Cornish. Friends? No, nothing. There never was. We knew each other through the industry.”
Joshua was responding to comments Whyte made to Sky Sports where he described Joshua as a “good boy.”

Whyte defeated Joshua in the amateurs in 2009 in a one-sided fight that saw the Jamaican-born fighter drop his man to the canvas.

After going 9-0 with six knockouts to kick-off his boxing career, Whyte ran into trouble.

Whyte was banned for two years after testing positive for the stimulant methylhexaneamine (MHA) which was found in the controversial supplement Jack3D. Whyte admitted to taking the supplement leading up to his fight against Sandor Balogh, unaware that the supplement had been banned from retail stores in the UK just weeks before.

With the incident behind him, Whyte remains undefeated in 15 fights with 12 knockouts, while Joshua has won all 13 fights by knockout.

Joshua recalled the night that Whyte beat him in the amateurs, a night he wants to avenge badly, but he understands that there is a possibility he will come up short. If he does come up short, he won’t allow that to dishearten him.

“We boxed as amateurs, and he beat me when he had vast experience as a kickboxer,” Joshua said.

“I went on to do good things as an amateur and as I turned pro people said, ‘Dillian is coming for you.’ Come on now, I’m not worried about anyone.

“Losing is never a good thing. But if I lose, it won’t dishearten me. Everyone tastes failure in life; nobody is superhuman.

“Whether it’s in the public domain or in your private life, you will face failure, and it’s how you bounce back that determines who you are.

“Even if he loses our fight, it won’t make him a bad fighter. You’ve just got to keep pushing through boundaries and building yourself.

“Since turning pro, I said, ‘Dillian can’t be mentioned in the same sentence as me.’

“He bit at that comment. He used that as a way to fuel his popularity and build himself up which is how he’s got our fight.

Joshua is not the type of fighter to engage in verbal assaults before the fight. However, the Watford fighter says he will stand his ground and possibly fire back if Whyte puts him in that situation.

“There’s a chance [tensions will spill at the weigh-in] due to the fact that, in boxing, there’s a history of fighters doing that,” he added. “But look at my previous weigh-ins and you’ll see how I approach them.

“Boxing is an art of discipline. You batter each other, you go to war, and you can shake hands. It’s a form of respect.

“I go to war in the ring, not in a press conference. But if it does go that way, so be it.”

Anthony Joshua is very honest, and you have to appreciate that in a fighter. What fighter in his position would admit that there’s a possibility of him losing? We’ll see what happens in December! This is going to be a war.