World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua defends his titles on Saturday night against Ukraine’s Oleksandar Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Last time out, however, Joshua KO’d Kubrat Pulev and he can expect an awkward night in the ring this weekend against the former cruiserweight champion.
The Metro asked Joshua, 31, if seeing Cristiano Ronaldo playing in at the top at 36 gives him motivation to continue fighting well into his 30s.
Joshua said: “He’s only kicking a football, isn’t he? What a man. We always compare ourselves to the one in a billion: he’s one in a billion and we always seem to compare ourselves to that guy.
“I can’t chase the Cristiano Ronaldo dream. Cristiano is one of the people I see asking for strength and courage. It comes with hardship but at the end of it is self-satisfaction.”
Joshua isn’t usually one for trash talk, which is a term used for boxers who like to run their mouth about upcoming opponents, but he strangely dismisses Ronaldo’s genius for someone who just kicks a football.
You could put boxers down the same way, but it would be ignorant to do so and sadly I think Joshua falls into that trap here.
The sooner Tyson Fury gets him into the ring the better!
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