Anthony Joshua puts to bed claims that he will retire if he is defeated by Oleksandr Usyk

Anthony Joshua has refuted speculation he will quit boxing if he loses Saturday night’s megabucks rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.

He insists he will carry on fighting even if he fails to retrieve his world heavyweight titles from the Ukrainian.

‘I respect people’s opinion,’ said the 32-year-old. ‘But I don’t want to retire. 

The 32-year-old reinforced his ‘love’ for boxing ahead of crunch rematch in Saudi Arabia

‘I’ve got one of the biggest fights of my life coming up and if you were thinking about retiring, it would put massive doubt in your mind.

‘People will always ask the question but I still want to continue. I love it. 

‘If I was losing to some has-been, then yes. But it’s crazy to talk about retiring because I lost to one of the best fighters in the world. What sort of nonsense is that?’

Usyk beat Joshua in their first fight with a clear unanimous decision win in September 2021

Usyk defeated Joshua in the first bout with a clear unanimous decision win, and Joshua is more than aware of the challenges that the rematch will pose.

Speaking at Wednesday’s press conference ahead of the fight, the 32-year-old said: ‘It’s tough, but I’m relishing the challenge. Let’s get the job done, instinct, stay focused and god willing, I’ll be victorious.

‘I have goals that I want to achieve on the night, and I need to be disciplined to follow through. It’s competition with myself. The belts mean something, but that’s at the end of the target.

‘I’ll focus on the process first and foremost. I want to compete. I have a competitive spirit.’