Anthony Joshua insists boxing 'is not tennis' when defending the decision to allow Dillian Whyte's fight with Dereck Chisora
Anthony Joshua has backed the British Boxing Board of Control's decision to allow Dillian Whyte's fight with Dereck Chisora to go ahead.
The board called an emergency meeting on Thursday after Chisora hurled a table at Whyte at Wednesday's press conference but decided to allow the heavyweight fight to remain on the undercard of Joshua's IBF title defence against Eric Molina on Saturday night in Manchester, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Chisora was fined £25,000 and handed a suspended two-year ban for his actions, but Joshua has played down the incident, claiming it will only have a negative impact on both boxers' fighting.
"It's wasted energy - I've been there with Dillian and we just didn't get along," said Joshua. "I wasted a lot of energy and you saw that in the type of fight I fought.
Dereck Chisora's fight against Dillian Whyte will go ahead, but Chisora has been punished by the British Boxing Board of Control
"At the end of the day, this is fighting. Throughout the history of boxing, you have these type of incidents. It doesn't happen at every press conference, but one out of 100 it may happen.
"This is not tennis, this is a gladiatorial sport. It's fight or flight, so you're going to get it. You saw that with Tony Bellew and David Haye - guys are going to attack each other. It happens sometimes."
In addition to the fine and suspended ban handed to Chisora, the Board also elected to remove the bout's sanction as a British heavyweight title defence by Whyte.
Joshua meanwhile has vowed to make Molina look like a "novice" when the pair fight on Saturday. A major showdown against Wladimir Klitschko next year follows for Joshua, who believes he is entering the prime period of his career.
"People were asking me 18 months ago when I was going to be fighting the big names, and I said, give me 18 months, and that time is now," said Joshua.
"We are starting to move forward and I'm getting more experienced. I'm injury-free and physically in the best shape I could be, and now it's just about getting the mind right."
Joshua's former amateur mentor Rob McCracken will undertake his first bout as the Watford fighter's full-time trainer, having previously worked together on the GB Boxing squad.
Joshua has announced Rob McCracken (right) as his full-time coach
"It's important to have experience in my corner," added Joshua. "Rob's been a fighter himself so when he's telling me to throw a combination or do an extra round, I respect his opinion, because he's lived it."
Meanwhile, Molina is taking inspiration from former WBC champion Oliver McCall, who dethroned Lennox Lewis in 1994 before being disqualified for refusing to defend himself in a rematch three years later.
"Oliver came across to me six years ago and I have worked and trained with him and he's a good mentor of mine," said Molina.
"He guided me through some of his mind-frame from his first fight with Lewis, and some of the advice that he got. It was a great moment for heavyweight boxing and now history has got a moment to repeat itself."
Watch Anthony Joshua v Eric Molina at the Manchester Arena, on December 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the event via your Sky remote or online here.
No comments:
Post a Comment