Anthony Joshua says knee healed- full go training

Unified World Heavyweight Champion, Britain’s Anthony Joshua, has had some uncertainty around him over the past few months.

Uncertainty about when his mandatory defense against IBF #1 challenger Kubrat Pulev can be rescheduled due to Covid 19?

Uncertainty about what happens next with a potential bout against WBC champ, Tyson Fury, after what should be an easy win against the Bulgarian?

But, most importantly, uncertainty about a knee injury suffered earlier this Summer that has had him shelved from his regular boxing regiment.

Well, the WBA, IBF and WBO title holders made clear recently, that there is no more uncertainty about the status of his left knee.

In an interview with Sky Sports TV that aired Friday but has only been available behind a pay-wall to subscribers, Joshua covered several subjects. Most importantly, he spoke publicly about the status of his slight injury and the short term training issues, for the first time:

AJ fully recovered ✅@AnthonyfJoshua says that he's fit and raring to go following a knee injury that had him on crutches

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— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 26, 2020

“I’m on my feet. I’m going for my 10,000 steps (daily training). I’m in the gym. I’m standing up. I’m smashing the heavy bag, smashing the heavy pads. The knee is good,” Joshua told Sky’s, Adam Smith.

“My pain threshold is quite high. So, I’m ready to ‘crack on’ and do things my way.”

The 23 – 1 Joshua had already been in limbo regarding his next fight. That was supposed to have been last month against the IBF number one contender Pulev, at Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, but the  pandemic delayed the fight indefinitely.

In the interim,  Joshua was seen in public on crutches during an early June “Black Lives Matter” social injustice rally in Watford, England. and with a brace on his left knee. Joshua apparently suffered the left knee injury while running during training. That was according to The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger, who reported then, that the injury was mild and would be rehabilitated in 4 to 6 weeks.

Joshua, nor anyone representing him, had spoken publicly about the injury or his rehab, until his Friday conversation with Sky.

As we wrote two weeks ago, the 30 year old Joshua posted a video showing himself in the gym, only from the waist up, while seated and doing turns with throwing punches at a heavy bag.

This lines up with Joshua taking his rehab step-by-step, and aligns with him now saying “I’m on my feet…hitting the heavy bag” to Sky Sports.

Besides the knee injury, what’s further delaying the Pulev fight from being set is that Matchroom Boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, has maintained they don’t want to hold the title bout without fans present. And, they would therefore, forgo millions of dollars in potential live gate revenue.

Hearn has suggested in recent interviews that a creative location like a British castle or even a massive luxury Yacht could hold Joshua-Pulev. However, the widespread belief is that the fight will be in October or November and likely, at a venue that could hold the fight while socially distancing several thousand fans.

Hearn could always go back to Saudi Arabia, where Matchroom staged the Josha-Andy Ruiz rematch won by the English title holder last December.

In any event, it’s a positive sign that Joshua is apparently fully back and ready/willing to reschedule to fight Pulev soon.