Joshua: I Have Survived The Lion’s Den

Anthony Joshua says he is confident of becoming a heavyweight star, after he was put on a lion’s den and realised his full potential.

The 27-year-old who is yet to lose a fight, is already preparing to defend his WBA ‘super’ and IBF belts against IBF mandatory challenger, Kubrat Pulev.

Joshua revealed he did not expect his success, but after claimed his IBF title from Charles Martin last year and gained recognition after knocking out Klitschko in April.

“Now I’ve got that strap on my back and that lion fur on my back, you walk with confidence, but before then you’re a contender and you can only find out how good you are when you are put in the lion’s den,” said Joshua.

“It was good to come out with the lion’s fur on my back for sure and now I can walk with confidence.

“At the time, I never believed I could become champion. I always did it for fun, for the discipline.

“I liked the discipline it gave me. In life I found a balance, which was important and now I believe I can definitely achieve greatness. But greatness does not just come from what I achieve in the ring – it’s some of the things that I intend to do outside of the ring.”