Anthony Joshua says he could retire from boxing in five years
Anthony Joshua hopes to fulfill his ambitions and make his fortune in five years -- and then retire.
The IBF world heavyweight champion makes a second title defence against American Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) at the Manchester Arena on Saturday.
But having only begun his bid to dominate the heavyweight division when he turned pro after winning gold at the 2012 Olympics in London,
the 27-year-old is already considering the possibility of getting out of the boxing game early.
"Maybe I'll be around for another five years," Joshua said. "The legacy I leave will be I've come up the hard way and I've stayed true to myself. I was a kid from Finchley [in north London] who went to the gym to make something of myself, to get fit. I wasn't chasing money. I was just on a self-development course.
"I can finish in five years provided everything goes to plan. One hundred per cent I could walk away from boxing now, it's all about being happy, and I'm happy. As long I'm happy that is all that matters. I don't do it for the money, I don't do it for the glory nights."
Victory this weekend will set up bigger fights and bigger tests next year. Wladimir Klitschko -- who ruled the division for nearly a decade but has been inactive since losing his IBF, WBA and WBO belts on points to Tyson Fury last November -- lies in wait for Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs), possibly at Wembley Stadium in London.
"I'm confident it will happen, and I think he's serious," Joshua said. "Klitschko was pencilled in, and that was time to announce myself on the big stage. It is big time now, baby. It's a shame Tyson Fury is not here because that was one that everyone was talking about, but there are other big fights out there."
Anthony Joshua held a public workout at the Manchester Arena on Tuesday. Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images
Klitschko (64-4, 54 KOs) will turn 41 in March and is agreeable to an April 29 date with Joshua, after a proposed rematch with Britain's Fury twice fell through, in July and September.
"I don't want to sit back too long," Joshua told Sky Sports. "I think it's a perfect date."
Like the Ukrainian Klitschko, Joshua's British rival David Haye will be an interested observer at ringside in Manchester. The 36-year-old former WBA world heavyweight champion has also talked up a possible showdown at Wembley with Joshua next year.
However, Joshua has indicated he is more interested in facing WBC champion Deontay Wilder after Klitschko than Haye.
"I can't predict it, but there is a very possible chance that I could have a few more straps around my waist next year," Joshua said at a public workout at Manchester Arena on Tuesday.
Joshua: I could retire from boxing in five years
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