I have 10 years left in boxing ―Anthony Joshua

Unified heavyweight world titleholder Anthony Joshua

Unified heavyweight world titleholder Anthony Joshua has declared his fight with Alexander Povetkin is the start of a new chapter in his career and believes he has 10 more years in boxing.

The WBA-IBF-WBO world heavyweight champion faces Povetkin, also a former Olympic gold medallist at Wembley Stadium, where there is expected to be a sell-out crowd of 90,000 on September 22.

Joshua (21-0, 20 KOs), 28, turned professional after winning an Olympic gold medal in 2012 and still lives in north London, not far from Wembley.

“This is a new chapter in my career,” Joshua told a press conference at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday.

“I think I’ve got 10 years left in boxing and I want to cement my legacy.

ALSO READ: Roma keeper, Alisson flying to Liverpool as deal agreed

“Because of science and information I can go on that long. Bernard Hopkins did it. My friend Wladimir Klitschko went on until he was 40, Floyd Mayweather Jr did and I believe I can do it as well.

“It’s not ‘him, him, him’ for me anymore. I have to look at the end goal.

“I feel like I am back in a tournament like it was in the amateurs or the Olympics. I have to get past people like Povetkin to fulfil my legacy.”

It will be Joshua’s seventh, third and first title defences of the IBF, WBA and WBO belts respectively.

Povetkin (34-1, 24 KOs), 38, from Russia, will be the best opponent Joshua has faced other than Ukraine’s Wladimir Klitschko, who he knocked out in the 11th round in front of 90,000 at Wembley last year.

During the conference Joshua was once again asked about a possible fight with American Deontay Wilder (40-0, 39 KOs), the WBC titleholder, after talks between the pair broke down before the end of the year.

“There seems there’s always a lot going on around my fights, noise about who is next,” Joshua said.

“I try to deal with these things. I’ve been fighting ten years now and I’ve always done it for fun. Now I’m dead serious about this business and this is chapter two for me and Povetkin is first on my list.”