Anthony Joshua says watching Ilia Topuria suffer the first loss of his professional career completely changed the way he's approaching his own return to the ring.
Speaking with Combat Evolved, the former two-time heavyweight champion revealed that Topuria's upset defeat to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 served as a wake-up call, reminding him how quickly expectations can unravel in combat sports.
"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.
Joshua admitted the bout affected him immediately after watching it: "When I watched that Ilia Topuria fight... I stopped replying to people after that because I said, 'Yo, it's not a joke.'"
The comments arrive at a pivotal moment for Joshua, who is preparing to face heavyweight Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Saudi Arabia. The bout is widely viewed as a tune-up ahead of a blockbuster clash with Tyson Fury later this year, making any slip-up especially costly.
Joshua explained that Topuria's loss forced him to rethink how accessible he had become during training camp.
"I saw someone in Ilia who was destined to win, the stars aligned for him to be victorious," Joshua said. "I think Ilia had beaten people that Justin had lost against. The odds were in his favor."
He continued by explaining the lesson he took away from watching the fight unfold: "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 uncontactable, less accessible, because the fight game is so serious.' You saw his face, what he went through. That's not a joke, man. It's not a joke."
The renewed focus comes after a turbulent stretch surrounding Joshua’s most recent opponent. Late last year, Joshua emerged as Jake Paul's replacement after Paul's scheduled Netflix showdown with Gervonta "Tank" Davis collapsed amid Davis' legal troubles.
A civil lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade County accused Davis of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress stemming from an alleged incident involving his former girlfriend, Courtney Rossel. Following the lawsuit, Most Valuable Promotions launched an internal review while exploring alternative opponents for Paul.
Ryan Garcia was among the names considered, but negotiations never produced a deal. Paul ultimately pivoted to Joshua, turning what began as a search for a replacement into one of late 2025’s biggest crossover boxing events.
