IBF, IBO, WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua admits that he's in "no rush" to fight in the United States.
Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) returned next Saturday night against late replacement Carlos Takam at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
Takam was subbed in on Monday, after original opponent Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria suffered a shoulder injury and was forced to withdraw from the contest. Takam is now being viewed as the mandatory obligation, but it's not clear when or if Joshua will be obligated to fight Pulev in the future.
Beyond Takam, the biggest fight out there for Joshua is in the United States - against WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder - who defends his title on November 4 against Bermane Stiverne.
But Joshua sold 70,000 tickets for the contest with Takam, and sold a record breaking 90,000 for his April stoppage of Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley in London.
He won't be the same top draw on American spoil and there is too much money to be made in the UK, where Joshua sells out arenas against opponents who huge underdogs.
"Everyone talks about going to the States," Joshua told BBC Radio 5 live's Mike Costello. "I've heard news about going to the Middle East, I've heard news about opportunities in Africa.
"From my amateur gym and people I grew up with, I give out a lot of tickets and I help a lot of people in different ways to get to the shows. I think it's great that all these little kids and their parents can come to watch a heavyweight title clash - that's why I'm not in a rush to go to the States.
"If the opportunity presents itself, so be it. But the reason I'm not in a rush is that people have supported me for so long here, let them enjoy it now. Going to America is a whole different ball game to a lot of people."
2023-10-19 18:51:24
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