Anthony Joshua appreciates second chances.
The former heavyweight champ turned the tables in his second fight with Andy Ruiz Jr., regaining the titles he lost in their first bout. Then, this past September, he lost his belts again by decision against Oleksandr Usyk in London.
Joshua and Usyk will do it again on Aug. 20 in Saudi Arabia.
“The great thing is I’ve got a second chance,” Joshua said at a news conference to kick off the promotion Tuesday in Jeddah. “… When I was a youngster I got in a little bit of trouble every now and again, and I was blessed with a second chance, and I found boxing. And I took it with both hands.
“So if you know me and a lot of my story, you know I’m the comeback king. You can put me down, but it’s difficult to keep me down.”
The first Usyk-Joshua fight wasn’t close, as the gifted Ukrainian outboxed the then-champion to win a clear decision.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) performed so poorly that he decided it was necessary to shake up his team, which led him to hire respected trainer Robert Garcia as his new lead mentor.
He believes that the move will help right his ship.
“Sometimes if you keep things simple you can achieve great things,” he said. “Robert’s been great in the camp. Definitely the hunger’s still there.”
He went on: “Blips happen, things happen in life. We’re still on the road, still on the road to undisputed for sure.”
Meanwhile, Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) hasn’t fought since his victory over Joshua, which means he will be in the ring for the first time since Russia invaded his country in February.
Ukraine’s leaders supported his decision to defend his titles.
“As we all know we are not in the best condition at the moment back at home but we are doing what we have to do,” the former cruiserweight champion said. “We are doing our job. Together with my team we are working hard to achieve our goals. I never made some very loud and bright speeches. All I did was I just worked hard in my training camp and in my gym.
“That’s what I’m going to do until the date of the fight, and then I will enter the ring and will make you happy with my boxing.”
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