Olympic super-heavyweight boxing prospect Anthony Joshua told Sky Sports News he is dreaming of London gold, while revealing he could also give Usain Bolt a run for his money.
Joshua claimed a silver medal at the World Amateur Boxing Championships last year, but hopes to go one better at the Olympics this summer.
As he appeared in the Sky Sports News studio, he said what it would mean to him to bag Olympic gold this year.
"It'd be a life changer," he said. "For me, my family, the country as a whole and boxing as a sport. I was 20 minutes away (from the Olympic Stadium) but now I've moved I'm only 10 minutes away."
Joshua, who remarkably has only been boxing for three years, was disappointed to only come away with silver at the World Championships after losing by just a single point.
"It let me know I can compete amongst the elite boxers, but being an elite boxer is not enough I want to go one better," he added.
"It still haunts me and I still have some nightmares about that but it motivates me to go on and get the gold. We work so hard, I just knew I could have won that gold.
His coach has tipped him to be the next Lennox Lewis, but Joshua is just concentrating on the job in hand before looking to join the professional ranks.
"I've heard some great things he's said about me as well and that's all motivation in the gym to live up to those expectations, because in myself I know that's what my expectations are as well.
"Right now my heads focused on step by step, so I'm not sure about being professional yet. It's a major step up. "
Although he will be representing Great Britain in the boxing ring, Joshua could well have been appearing on the track in the Olympic Stadium after excelling as a sprinter in his youth.
After enjoying some fun time on the track on Thursday, he said the speed was still there, but insisted he was better served in the ring.
"11 seconds," he said his best 100m time was. "Today on the track we were doing some sprints and I was eating up the track and I've still got it!
"I'm not calling out Usain Bolt but I've still got it!"
0 comments:
Post a Comment