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Anthony Joshua exclusive: ‘Boxing is about taking on the fights the fans want’

Knockout blow | Anthony Joshua connects with Alexander Povetkin’s chin, inflicting the first stoppage of the Russian’s career at Wembley: Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge
Knockout blow | Anthony Joshua connects with Alexander Povetkin’s chin, inflicting the first stoppage of the Russian’s career at Wembley: Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge

A few years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have won that fight.

So with the dust settled, credit has to go to all the people who help me in camp: my coaching staff, nutritionist, management team, all just trying to make my life easier.

Every day is about developing. Top, top fighters have lost in the past and that just shows you how tough this game is. I’m in it to win it, I’m in it to learn and I’m in it to be the best boxer I can possibly be.

The harder the fight, the more you learn and I’ll take a lot from Saturday night. I can still get better and, as I said at the press conference, this is Chapter Two. We’re at a different level now and I’ve got to find my feet again.

People always ask who I want to fight next, and I want to fight whoever the fans want me to fight.

There are always unseen complications with negotiations but the sport is about what the fans want. Sometimes we have to face our mandatories, which I did on Saturday night, but it’s the supporters who make this sport.

Anthony Joshua looks to next fight after beating Povetkin

I want to face serious challengers and anyone is welcome. There’s obviously a lot of talk about Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury at the moment, and good luck to the both of them in their fight. If one of them then wants to step up, then they know where they can find me.

To all the fans at Wembley on Saturday night, I want to say a massive thank you. I prayed for sunshine, Saturday night was rainy, but you still came out and Wembley was rocking once again.

The energy in the stadium was incredible and spurred me on, helping me through the fight. I said all along, Alexander Povetkin is a very good challenger. He proved that on Saturday night with strong left hooks and counter-punches.

You get this with the shorter guys. They tend to be very good at coming through the middle, and Povetkin came here to have a fight and to take my titles. It was never going to be easy.

Povetkin earned the right to challenge me and came to London expecting to win. In these fights, it’s not just about talent, it’s about digging deep and finding that bit extra to get you through.

He came here full of heart and he gave it everything, but I knew I’d always end up victorious because I know what I can do and how deep I can dig.

I went into the ring to have fun, do what I’ve been working on in the gym and give it my best.

I knew he was going to be strong to the head but weak to the body so I was just mixing it up. Every jab takes a second of breath out of you and slows you down, so I just kept him within range and kept trying to break him down.

We weren’t looking for the knockout but, in the seventh, instinct told me he was hurt and I knew I had to follow up. I knew it was time to get him out of there. I was prepared to take my time. It could have been seven, maybe nine, maybe 12 rounds but the ultimate aim was to be victorious.

I’m happy with how the fight went. I feel I executed my game plan well and I got my knockout streak back. I found my right hand. It’s been missing for a while but I found it and I’m now lining it up for what’s next. For now, I’m going to take a bit of time off.

This training camp pushed me to a whole new level. I need to go away, rest my body and mind, so that when training camp starts we go again and we improve on the lessons learned from Saturday, and prepare for another win here in London on April 13, whoever the opponent is.