BY DENZIL PINTO
DOHA: Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua has said that winning in London has given him the ‘motivation and determination’ to achieve more success in boxing.
In an exclusive interview with The Peninsula yesterday at Aspire Dome where the Aspire4Sport Sports Congress is taking place, the 23-year-old who triumphed in the Super-Heavyweight category at ExCeL Arena, remains confident there is still a lot more to achieve in his boxing career.
“Winning the gold medal has made me more determined to what I want to achieve. If I stop now, it would be a waste, so I want to do more in life. It has given me more motivation and determination to achieve more success,” said the 6 foot 6 inch star.
Despite winning silver medal at the World Amateur Championships in 2011 at Baku, the British boxer entered the Olympics as an underdog. The occasion of competing at his home Games did not faze Joshua, who was introduced to boxing by his cousin.
“I always believed in myself that I could win the gold medal in London,” he said at Aspire Dome.
“It felt like destiny (on winning gold). I believed in it and it was great winning at my home Olympics,” he added, who regards Larry Holmes, Joe Lewis, Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson as his boxing role models.
“I can not pick one person for my gold success,” he explained.
“I owe my gold medal success to a lot of people. Boxing is not about being arrogant or cocky because when I step into a ring, I have to take punches.
“You have to put yourself in a position to who you owe it to. Because when a trainer steps out of the ring and you win your fight that is when it counts. You have to owe that success to the people who you work with,” he added.
The boxer vows to be ‘more organised’ and ‘more educated’ for the challenges that he will face in the future. “I believe the smarter you are, the sharper you are. I want to keep my brain on fire,” said Joshua.
Questions have been raised whether Joshua should move up to professional level, having triumphed in London.
Stars in the sport such as boxing promoter Frank Warren have called for Joshua to make the move.
But the Briton has not ruled out the possibility of changing categories.
“Why not?” said the Olympian, when asked whether he would change categories.
“One day I could turn professional, but not at this moment in time,” he added.
Speaking of his next fight, the 23-year-old has not ruled out of competing at the World Boxing Series (WSB) and is keeping his options open.
“I could compete in the WSB, European Championships or the World Championships. There are so many opportunities out there, but I will decide carefully which tournaments I will fight in,” said the Briton. THE PENINSULA
