Anthony Joshua dismisses injury fears as he prepares to prime his KO power on sparring partners
Joshua "The knee is as good as it can be. I am in full training"
Sunday 26 July 2020 10:33, UK
Anthony Joshua has dismissed any lingering fears about a knee injury and will start searching for sparring partners to prime his power for next opponent Kubrat Pulev.
Britain's unified heavyweight champion was pictured on crutches in June, prompting concerns that he might not be fit enough to defend his world titles against Pulev this year.
Promoter Eddie Hearn insisted Joshua had 'tweaked' the knee, which would not require surgery, and Joshua has cleared up any remaining doubts with an update on his fitness.
"The knee is as good as it can be," Joshua told Sky Sports. "I am in full training. I didn't stop training even when I had the knee.
"I'm sure many of my social media followers saw me on the heavy bag sitting down. I'm standing up now."
A date and a venue are yet to be confirmed for the Joshua-Pulev fight, which is expected to be staged in the closing months of the year in the UK.
The IBF have enforced Pulev as their mandatory challenger, but the governing body confirmed last month that they had not yet imposed a deadline for their title defence to be fulfilled.
A statement from the IBF to Sky Sports said: "Given the current circumstances we are being flexible.
"It is difficult to put a firm date on mandatory obligations at the moment.
"Everyone is working hard to get things going with boxing again and hopefully everything will be on track soon."
But Joshua has started to intensify his preparations for Pulev and will soon be considering a list of possible fighters who can mimic the Bulgarian's style.
Joshua has sparred in the past with a range of rising prospects and current contenders, and drafted in the American trio of Bryant Jennings, Andrew Tabiti and Timothy Moten for his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr in December.
"I'm on two feet and I'm sure we can start sparring, so I'll be looking for some sparring partners in about a week or two to start training camp," said Joshua.
