Anthony Joshua won’t hang up his gloves if he loses his upcoming rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr, according to Sky Sports boxing commentator Adam Smith.
The Olympian will look to avenge his seventh-round TKO loss to ‘The Destroyer’ – who was a late replacement for the disgraced Jarrell Miller – in Saudi Arabia on December 7.
Joshua’s stunning defeat at the hands of the rotund Ruiz Jr – which took place at Madison Square Garden – shocked boxing fans and pundits across the globe, many of whom expected the 30-year-old to make light work of the Mexican-American.
The Watford warrior’s second showdown with Ruiz Jr has been billed by many as a do-or-die fight, with many of his detractors insisting he should retire if he loses the bout.
According to Smith, Joshua is well aware of those calls but has no intention of heeding them if he comes up short in the ‘Clash on the Dunes’.
“He told me on the global tour that even if he loses, he’s going to fight another five [to] 10 years,” he told iFL TV. “There’s no talk of retirement or anything. He really wants to fight for a long, long time.
“There’s a lot of people who say if he loses again and loses twice in a row, maybe he’ll think again.
“He’ll have made a huge amount of money and there will be other things he’ll want to do. I don’t know.
“Ultimately, he’s got to fight to win. If he wins this, then he’s right back up there and you can talk about the Wilder’s and the Fury’s.
“He regains his titles as Lennox Lewis did, he exacts revenge and back he comes.
‘I think we have to wait and see what happens in Saudi.”
Despite losing the WBA (Super), WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles in emphatic fashion, Joshua is once again relishing being the role of the hunter.
“I feel I was up against the good challenger at the time. “And as I mentioned I was only champion until June 1,” Joshua said during the first Ruiz Jr vs Joshua II pre-fight press conference.
“And as Andy’s champion right now, that will last until December 7.
“Until he has to put his titles in the air and two warriors go to war and the best man walks out victorious.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”