Act like a champion, Lennox Lewis tells Anthony Joshua

British boxing legend, Lennox Lewis, has challenged Anthony Joshua to “act like a champion” amid uncertainty over his next opponent.

Unbeaten heavyweight champion Joshua (22-0, 21 KOs) recently missed out on a high-profile fight with American Deontay Wilder after talks reached an impasse, while fellow Briton Tyson Fury has also been mooted as a potential future opponent.

And Lewis, who was the last undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, has warned Joshua of the perils of dodging big fights.

“Joshua can take his time,” Lewis told Boxing Scene. “He’s champion now. He says he doesn’t want to fight Tyson Fury for a year or so. He wants to go around making money. I think that’s going to be a downfall for him. He has to stay with it; he can’t be in the background.

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“If he wants to be champion, he has to act like a champion.”

Undisputed cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk is headed to the heavyweight division eventually but not for a clash with unified world titleholder Anthony Joshua in April and not necessarily for his next fight, Usyk manager Egis Klimas told ESPN.

Lewis, 53, was also asked to predict the upcoming clash between Wilder and Fury, who meet in Los Angeles on December 1.

“Deontay has a lot of power,” he added. “Anywhere he hits you, you’re going to be concussed. If he can’t knock out Fury, he better be prepared to box. Tyson Fury is fast on his feet, elusive. We’ll see if Deontay can catch up with him.

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“I think it’s a terrific matchup, which is how it’s supposed to be. Heavyweights are gladiators that want to prove they’re the best against the best. In the end, I think Fury will win because of his boxing if it goes the distance. If it’s a short fight, it’s Wilder.”