Anthony Joshua has suggested that he has entered the twilight of his career as a heavyweight boxer.
The 31-year-old Joshua, who is expected to face British rival Tyson Fury this year a fight that would unify the heavyweight division, has claimed he has around five years remaining in the sport.
Joshua told Sky Sports News, “This isn’t the start of my career. I’m coming towards the end of my career.”
“I’m not someone who lives in the moment and thinks that everything is just like for now. I’m always planning ahead so I’m coming towards the end of my career.”
“Five years left and that’s basically an Olympic cycle. I’ve got an Olympic cycle and a little bit more left, so when you see the next Olympics happen is when I’ll be coming to the end of my career and the next generation will be coming through.”
Joshua, of course, is not referring to the postponed 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo that are scheduled for later this year but the 2024 event in Paris.
Joshua is currently the holder of the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO, retaining his titles after defeating Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev at Wembley in December.
Rival Fury holds the WBC belt after his defeat of Deontay Wilder in Las Vegas last year.
And Fury, 32, recently said he can envisage boxing until he is 40 like Wladimir Klitshcko – the legendary Ukrainian heavyweight fighter that both Fury and Joshua have defeated.
“A lot of the great champions are continuing, and continuing,” Fury told Sky Sports.
“I ain’t boxing for money, I ain’t boxing for fame, I ain’t boxing for a belt. I’m boxing because it keeps me mentally happy and I like to do it.”
Sportsmail exclusively reported on Wednesday that there is a real prospect of Joshua and Fury’s fight being held in Singapore or Saudi Arabia.
Joshua is now expected to take on his rival Tyson Fury after brushing Pulev aside last month
The UK’s prospects of hosting one of the biggest fights in recent memory has been significantly dented by the latest lockdown.
Joshua’s Promoter Eddie Hearn said: “Even before this current situation there was no guarantee that we would do the first fight in the UK because it was almost impossible that we would get clearance to have, say, 90,000 at Wembley in late May.
“Now it is far, far more likely that it will be abroad.”
“There have been a lot of conversations between both sides in the past couple of weeks and we’re optimistic that we can tie up stuff in the next fortnight.”
