Heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua says he is humble in victory after beating Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to reclaim his belts.
According to him, “A man like me don’t make no excuses, my boy (Dereck) Chisora said I am ready to win this if I am ready to D.I.E. This is about boxing, I am used to knocking people out, but last time I got hurt, so I gave the man his credit, said I would correct myself again, I respect Andy so much.
“The sweet science of this sport is about hitting and not getting hit. Never a change in mentality, you know the saying ‘stay hungry, stay humble’ – I am hungry and I am humble.”
He added: “I said I didn’t want to get too carried away but it is emotional. This is about the public, and about British boxing. They won tonight and we created history by opening the floodgates.
“To Andy Ruiz and his family and team, love and respect and I want to see him in the ring again because he is very talented. l can box but I like to fight. I’m a warrior at heart, and sometimes when you’re used to knocking a man out, it can happen to you.
“I’m a man that has made mistakes and when I was on losing path in life, I matured and bounced back. After I took my loss I had to mature as a fighter. Life is in boxing and that is why I love it because they go hand in hand.”
He said: “This is a purpose-built stadium for a purposeful night. Shout out to the travelling fans. I’m just appreciative of the journey and for the fans that witnessed history. It’s about everyone involved and I’m just humbled. I know certain people had doubts but I didn’t.
“Don’t ever doubt yourself. Life is a roller coaster. If you want to win at life every time, do not step in the ring. If you step in here, you are going to win and lose and that is life. As long as you are satisfied with yourself, no one can tell you anything.”
According to him, “I have got a long way to go. It’s not about me it’s about Britain. I used to train when I was on tag. We have taken boxing to the world and I’m always here to support grassroots boxing. I don’t want to talk too much because I have done that a lot in the past, and a big mouth is not what people respect. Whatever I can do, I will. If that is fighting the other top fighters in the division, then so be it.”
