Anthony Joshua is patiently waiting for boxing to resume so he can step back into the ring and put his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles on the line against mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev.
The showdown was supposed to take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on June 20 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 outbreak. Once the fight was shelved, rumors started swirling that Joshua could shift his focus to a battle with WBC heavyweight champ Tyson Fury to crown an undisputed champion. There are a lot of hurdles in the way of that matchup considering Fury and Joshua are contractually obligated to face Deontay Wilder and Pulev, respectively. Nevertheless, it's the fight that the fans want to see.
Joshua told British GQ why a potential fight with Fury, regardless of when it happens, wouldn't be the biggest fight of his career.
"You know what? There are going to be bigger fights (than Fury) because I'm not going anywhere," Joshua said. "I'm here to make history. I'm hungry and fired up. Fury is just another opponent at the end of the day. Yeah, it's going to be big for everyone else, but I have to keep myself together and look at Fury like he's just another fighter.
"But in terms of the spectacle, the trash-talking, two juggernauts coming together, I can't wait."
Joshua gained perspective about his career after suffering his first loss as a professional last June to Andy Ruiz Jr. He avenged the defeat and reclaimed the titles last December, and he appears to be more driven than ever.
"I've tasted what being at the top of the mountain feels like and I've tasted what being knocked off the mountain feels like," he said. "I've climbed my way back up and whoever steps in front of me now will know that I ain't looking to go back down. So when I'm fighting Pulev and get the opportunity to fight with Tyson Fury for the WBC championship of the world, I think they are going to see what it feels for a man to have had it all, lost it and got it back — a man who has experienced those turbulences doesn't want to go through that again."
There are no prospective dates for Joshua-Pulev and Fury-Wilder 3 at the moment. Top Rank's Bob Arum has suggested that the third meeting between Fury and Wilder could take place before the end of 2020. But with the coronavirus pandemic disrupting sports as a whole, it is anybody's guess when we may see the biggest fights in the heavyweight division.