ANTHONY JOHUA promised he wouldn't quit if Oleksandr Usyk beats him again.
Joshua will not be appearing on Sky Sports for Saturday's heavyweight rematch before he moves to DAZN, a rival broadcaster.
Anthony Joshua insists that he will continue boxing even if he loses
Oleksandr Uzyk has pledged to win the rematch with a knockout.
AJ vs Usyk 2, date, live stream, and TV channel for blockbuster rematch
Many Sky pundits suggested that he would quit boxing if he suffered a second consecutive defeat.
Joshua, 32, retorted: "I don't think about retiring."
"I have one of the most important fights in my life and if I thought about retiring, it would be a huge doubt in my mind.
"People will always ask questions. But I want to keep going. It is my favorite thing.
"I am competing with pound for pound fighters. If I were losing to some has-beens, then yes.
"But it's insane to talk about retiring after losing to one of my best fighters in world. Is that not absurd?
"I value people's opinions but I don’t want to retire.
"This is my 12th consecutive fight for the world title and because it is world level, you will be up against world-level opponents.
"This is my third Olympic gold medallist. But we are here for entertainment."
Usyk sends message
Joshua was warned by Usyk that Saturday's opening bell would signal a return of the terrible 12th round in which he almost lost last September.
The Ukrainian icon, 35 years old, arrived at the Jeddah Press Conference in full Cossack warrior costume - with a ponytail, scalped hair and handlebar moustache. After that, he belted out an ancient war cry.
Then, in stark contrast with his August media appearances in London, where the Saudi challenger was promised a new contest and a clean slate, he told Joshua that he would race out of the traps, pin down the challenger and finish him off.
Usyk insists that he didn’t need to look at a KO at Tottenham stadium 11 month ago. He was unloaded in the last Spurs stanza and the bell saved Watford's man. He then stumbled back to his corner.
He believes that this terrifying moment in time will be the exact place where they will meet again - nearly a year and 3,000 miles later.
He growled, "Ofcourse I will be better for the fight," he said. "We met in our first fight. He learned from me and I from him.
"But I don’t think we will be both new fighters. It’s not a new fight, it’s round 13, 14, 15, onwards until it ends.
"We have had enough time together to study, and Saturday night will be a great one."
AJ, dressed in a polar opposite of the brand-sponsored sportswear, had to stand a few feet away and hear his opponent - who was fighting in March for Ukraine in war against Russia - explain how important this fight is.
Usyk, who allegedly cycled 100kms in scorching heat, swam five hours a day and held his breath underwater for more than FOUR minutes until he passed out, said that he was born to compete for life, belts and anything.
"He who doesn't compete is not alive."
"All of our lives are competitions for everything, for every person, and for anything." We are always competing because of that.
The Jeddah press conference revealed that the pair were matched very differently.
Joshua's steely, almost silent determination was overshadowed in part by Usyk’s storytelling and showmanship. Usyk stole the show, and Joshua had to settle for second.
The London 2012 Olympic Champion and Watford hero had a difficult time sitting close to his WBA, IBF, and WBO belts during presentation.
The streamline-minded ace claims that this must-win duel is more than just the gold and leather straps, which bloat the sport while keeping the greedy sanctioning boards fat.
He stated, "It's necessary to win, but I like the pressure.
"It was hard and my team has pushed my me, now I have to do the job, using my instincts, it is my turn to win.
"It's competition that I love. We set a goal, and I will be disciplined enough win.
"The belts are a sign of something, but they only come at the end of the process. I cannot skip it."
"I look forward to it, and I want to compete. I have that competitive spirit."
We hope that this is enough to defeat Usyk's warrior spirit.
