By Keith Idec
NEW YORK – Anthony Joshua is well aware that he is about to fight a man who's no longer the man because Tyson Fury defeated him.
Joshua can’t concern himself, however, with beating the man who beat the man. Fighting Fury would do huge business in their native England, but Fury’s future as a boxer is uncertain because the former IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion is focusing on conquering alcoholism, depression and drug addiction.
The 27-year-old Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) has surpassed Fury as an attraction in Great Britain, where the 2012 Olympic gold medalist has become a superstar since winning the IBF heavyweight title from Charles Martin on April 9 in London. A record crowd of roughly 90,000 is expected to pack London’s Wembley Stadium for Joshua’s title defense against Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) on April 29.
“What you got to remember is that winning is important,” Joshua said Tuesday following a press conference at Madison Square Garden to promote his fight against Klitschko. “Fury won. Fury beat the man [Klitschko]. But what he’s doing now is not good. You have to know your plan for when you get in this position. Winning is fine, but the responsibility of being a champion is what’s important.
“So it would be important to beat the man who beat the man, but it’s irrelevant because I realize that he has no substance right now. You have to use your position wisely. And that’s why [Klitschko’s] still got the interest, because of how he has manipulated his position and used it wisely. So Fury would be good competition and a good fight for me. But right now, it’s not relevant.”
Fury, 28, gave up his WBA and WBO heavyweight titles in September and canceled his rematch against Klitschko, which was scheduled for October 29 in Fury’s native Manchester. Though Fury has been critical of Joshua during his ascent to stardom, Joshua would like to see Fury (25-0, 18 KOs) make a successful comeback to boxing.
“I hope he does,” Joshua said. “And I hope he comes back strong. But for now, I can’t really comment. I don’t know.”
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.