Anthony Joshua fears he could end up in a wheelchair if he does not retire from heavyweight boxing in the next few years.
'AJ' recently made his r eturn to the ring beating Jermaine Franklin on points after looking to bounce back from two consecutive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk. It is likely he could now push for some lucrative mega-fights with one eye on a showdown with Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia later this year, which could see him land a purse in excess of £30million.
Joshua has admitted his motivation for stepping in the ring largely is down to securing his financial future for himself and his family. However he has now revealed he will not fight beyond his prime years, as he does not want to inflict physical damage on his body.
He told Men's Health : “In boxing, people walk in the gym one way and not many walk out the same way, because of the trauma and the stuff they put their body through. I want my legacy to be, I walked out healthy. Imagine me at the age of 50 or 60 in a wheelchair, fragile because of the trauma I put my body through.
"My legacy should be when I'm old, I'm still fresh. I want people to say, ‘Oh wow, he still looks good, he still looks after himself.’ That's a legacy. 'In December potentially there is a big fight that should be cracking with me and Wilder. It has been a long time coming. There are a lot of moving shapes at the minute, a lot of things happening, so one step at a time. But it has been a long time coming, for sure."
The British star even faced surprise calls to retire following his points win over Franklin, which was his first since linking up with experienced American trainer Derrick James. Despite his recent defeats, Joshua remains well ranked with the governing bodies and could propel himself quickly back into title contention with a series of wins.
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And in a latest piece of praise from Joshua's rival Tyson Fury's dad John, he has defended the star and insisted that Britons should be backing the heavyweight. He told Stamina For Sale : "Poor old AJ, stop giving the kid stick. "Support your man, support your man. We're all British and he's a fellow heavyweight.
"There are a few little rising UK heavyweight stars and I support them all, they need all the support and attention we can give them. If you supported him before, then support him now. "They are digging in the wrong places with him. AJ needs to be worked on mentally. They need to wake the f*** up and recognise the obvious problem with the kid and work on it."
