Chris Eubank Jr says Anthony Joshua still has the “hunger” needed to regain his world titles, after training with the heavyweight in Dubai.
Joshua lost his WBA, IBF, WBO belts in a unanimous decision defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in September, with pair expected to face each other in a rematch later this year.
Joshua maintained his fitness levels over the festive period with a training camp in Dubai and was joined by Eubank Jr, who takes on middleweight rival Liam Williams on February 5.
Eubank Jr was impressed by what he saw in the Middle East and says Joshua is fully determined to become a unified heavyweight world champion for the third time in his career.
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“He’s strong [but] what he is now is not what he’s going to be in three or four months’ time, when the fight happens,” Eubank told SPORTbible, after being announced as an ambassador for 888poker.
“You can’t really go off of what he is now but he’s focused, he’s hungry.
“All of the things that he’s done, all of the money that he’s made, he’s still a hungry fighter.
“He still wants to be better, he still wants to win and be the best.
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“You have got to respect him for that. I’m looking forward to the rematch.”
Eubank Jr is hoping to secure a world title shot of his own later this year if he beats Williams at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena.
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The fight has finally been given the green light by the Welsh government after being pushed back twice, most recently after the British Boxing Board of Control suspended all boxing in January to allow medics to focus on tackling Covid-19.
Speaking last week before the fight was fully confirmed, Eubank admitted the build-up had been a challenge.
“When a fight date gets pushed back you have to adjust," he said.
"You have to be professional. You have to adjust your training and make sure you don’t peak too close or too far away from the fight.
“Weight is an issue because you there’s a timeline where you have to cut your weight down, so you have to adjust your body and eating schedule. It’s a whole thing.
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“But this is my life, this is what I do and we’ll be ready for the fight – whenever it happens.”
Eubank Jr has set his sights on a potential world title fight against IBF champion Gennady Golovkin later this year.
The British fighter has forced his way back into world title contention after drawing on the experience of former four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr, who he first linked up with in 2020.
“Roy Jones is a genius. I’ve trained now with him for about two years and I’ve learnt a lot. He’s a master at what he does,” added Eubank.
“He’s very passionate, boxing is his life still even after he’s retired. I’ve learned a lot from him and I continue to do so, that’s why I’ve said he will be in my corner for the rest of my career.
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“You can’t buy the experience and the knowledge that he has.
“The only other person that has that type of knowledge, that I’ve been around, is my father and I’ve obviously learnt so much from him.
“So to have two men like that around me, it’s a blessing.”
Featured Image Credit: Alamy & Instagram: Chris EubankTopics: Anthony Joshua, Heavyweight Boxing, Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk