Anthony Joshua may turn down the big-money offers to stay amateur after the Olympics.
Brit in no rush to turn professional after the London Games
Team GB super-heavyweight hopeful Anthony Joshua is contemplating turning down money-spinning offers from promoters to stay amateur after the Olympics.
The Londoner is strongly fancied to win gold in his home city at this summer's Games and reportedly snubbed a £50,000 offer to enter the punch-for-pay ranks two years ago.
Joshua, 22, is considered one of the best amateur super-heavyweights in the world after he reached last year's amateur World Championships final, only to be out-pointed by the local hero in Azerbaijan. It has been an incredibly fast progression for Joshua, who first walked into a boxing gym less than four years ago and is now on the wanted list for British and American promoters.
If Joshua strikes gold at the ExCeL Arena in Docklands in the super-heavyweight final, he can expect professional promoters fighting over his signature with offers expected to be over £1million.
But the likeable 6ft 6in boxer, who weighs over 14 stones, claims he is prepared to wait before entering the professional ranks.
"I really want to become an Olympic champion and amateur world champion," he told Punchlines. "There's no rush to turn pro because I've been watching Guillermo Rigondeaux, the Cuban who won two Olympic gold medals and is now a world champion but didn't turn professional until he was 28.
"The pro career is always there but once you leave amateurs there's no turning back. There's no rush to turn pro. I want to get the most out of my amateur career before turning professional."
Joshua learnt to box at the same Finchley gym where heavyweight Dereck Chisora trains and has also sparred with the former world title challenger.
And AJ expects Chisora to take bitter rival Haye the distance in their controversial heavyweight showdown at Upton Park on July 14.
"I've had a few rounds with Dereck Chisora," he told Punchlines. "I've been down the gym to see him preparing for Haye. He's tough and he's going to give Haye a lot problems.
"I think it might go the distance they are both tough guys and they are not going to want to stay on the canvas.
"He just needs to keep on learning like me, and like any great fighter you don't stop learning until you retire."
Quick hits
Matthew Hall is looking forward to what he describes as the biggest night of his career at Upton Park on July 14, but counts himself lucky to still be alive.
Former Commonwealth champion Hall, 27, lost a split points decision Sam Webb British light-middleweight title final eliminator in April and hopes to get his career back on track when he faces German Jack Culcay for the vacant WBA international title next month.
But the Manchester boxer admits his career was nearly finished by two separate incidents that left him with horrific stab wounds.
"I've been stabbed twice in 2003 and 2006," Hall told Punchlines. "The first time was when I was 19. My bowel was perforated six times and I lost five or six litres of blood. It was touch and go whether I needed a colostomy bag for life. Then I got stabbed again when I was 21 in my chest, but it wasn't so bad. They were both just a case of being wrong place, wrong time and a bit of gang thing.
"The stabbings were a real test of character. People didn't know whether I would come back from it. It took a year out of my career the first time. But I tried to take the positives out of it and don't cry about it.
"I could have been gone, but I survived it and I'm still here getting ready for the biggest fight of my life."
Hall has had no concerns about boxing on the controversial show at West Ham's ground, with the British Boxing Board of Control threatening punishment for any UK fighter on the undercard. The Board fiercely oppose the top of the bill clash between London heavyweights David Haye and Dereck Chisora but Hall shrugged off any possibility of action from the Board.
"The Board can't take it out on us, the undercard fighters," Hall told Punchlines. "It's our livelihood and we haven't broken any rules. I've got two lovely kids and I have I have to feed them.
"It was a no brainer for me to take the fight. I've got a family to feed and Frank Warren is my manager and when he says fight, I fight. I'm not thinking about what might happen with the Board, I'm thinking about the fight.
"There's going to be 40,000 there and thousands more watching on Box Nation, so it's going to be great exposure for me and that's why it's the biggest fight of my career."
David Price will not now be fighting in the States next month, but is clinging to the hope he will still make his US debut this summer. The unbeaten British heavyweight champion was scheduled to fight in Atlantic City on July 27. He plans to continue his training camp while promoter Frank Maloney tries to confirm a bout in America in August as well as a new TV deal after talks with Box Nation and Channel 5.
Chris Eubank Jr is not the only one trying to emulate his father's success in the ring. Chris' brother Seb won the Haringey Box Cup Novice Final at 81kg at the weekend with a second round stoppage. Middleweight Chris Jr will have his fifth professional fight at the Hand Arena in Clevedon, Somerset, on July 7.
Ghanaian lightweight
Richard Commey, who has stopped all 11 opponents so far, makes his UK debut against Kris Hughes at the York Hall on July 7. Goodwin Promotions are hoping to guide Commey to a Commonwealth title fight.
