Anthony Joshua admits Ilia Topuria’s shocking loss ‘changed his mindset’ ahead of Tyson Fury showdown

Heavyweight boxing legend Anthony Joshua’s mentality completely changed watching Ilia Topuria’s shocking loss at the White House.

Ilia Topuria’s unbeaten professional MMA career came to a shocking end on the White House lawn last month at UFC Freedom 250. In his first undisputed UFC lightweight title defence, Topuria lost to interim champ Justin Gaethje by TKO after entering the fight as a massive favorite.

Topuria’s downfall came after weeks of confidence exuded, including his prediction of a quick knockout against Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. For the first time in his career, Topuria left the Octagon without getting his hand raised, with his face busted open from the fight.

Heavyweight boxing great Anthony Joshua, who was watching UFC Freedom 250 as a fan, took a lot from watching Topuria’s demise against Gaethje.

Anthony Joshua: Ilia Topuria’s pre-fight celebration taught me the ‘seriousness’ of fighting

In a recent interview with Combat Evolved, Joshua shared an interesting perspective on Topuria’s loss to Gaethje.

“I think you’ve got to be in the fight game to truly know it’s not lit. It’s not what people think it is. It’s not all fun and games; it’s a serious, serious, serious job, man,” Joshua said of Topuria.

“When I watched that Ilia Topuria fight, and who was the other guy he fought? When I watched that fight, I stopped replying to people after that because I said, ‘Yo, it’s not a joke.’ I saw someone in Ilia who was destined to win; the stars aligned for him to be victorious. I think Ilia had beaten people that Justin had lost against. The odds were in his favor, and that’s what I’m saying.

“Ilia, not that it was a bad thing, but I saw him celebrating before. He’s entitled to do what he wants, but I just took something from it, and I said, ‘Get back to being untouchable, less accessible, because the fight game is so serious.’  You saw his face, what he went through,” Joshua continued. “That’s not a joke, man. It’s not a joke.” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

Joshua is set to fight UK boxing star Tyson Fury later this year after an upcoming tune-up fight. If he’s victorious, Joshua will cement himself as one of the greatest heavyweights ever.

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