Australian heavyweight Lucas Browne is backing Anthony Joshua to prove the “arseholes” wrong and once again become world champion — while also revealing the countryman he wants to knock cold on his own way out of boxing.
No stranger to world title headliners, Browne is tipping Joshua to earn a statement KO in Sunday’s hyped showdown against American Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena.
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While the Englishman has been heavily criticised following consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk – and even urged to retire — Australia’s first heavyweight champ sees things differently.
In fact, the fighter dubbed Big Daddy insists Sunday’s showdown could be the first step towards Joshua earning a superfight with reigning WBC champ Tyson Fury, despite the Gypsy King’s team recently insisting no such deal was being worked on behind the scenes.
“Can AJ become world champion again? For sure,” Browne told Fox Sports Australia this week.
“He has the marketability, the connections, the money, he’s been there and he has that name capable of drawing a crowd.
“He just needs a couple of wins to get back there.
“And that’s what this next fight is.
“It’s his to win every day of the week.”
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Asked about the criticism surrounding Joshua, who has even promised to retire with a loss, Browne continued: “Unfortunately some people are arseholes, and social media gives them a voice.
“So the moment a fighter loses, they tell him to retire.
“Obviously Joshua needs to make a statement in this fight and I think he’ll stop Franklin in round five or six.”
Browne also revealed he could see a scenario where the Englishman eventually fought his way into a blockbuster showdown with Fury.
“Although Tyson Fury is a weird one,” conceded the Perth-based heavyweight.
“He fights guys like Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte but won’t fight a guy like Joshua.
“He might be scared of that match up. Who knows?
“One moment he’s retired, the next he’s back.
“But I think Fury is still top (of the heavyweight division).”
So he beats Usyk?
“Yes, just because he knows how to use that length and reach,” Browne continued.
“It would probably be a boring fight between them. No knockouts, back and forth, almost like a stalemate.
“But Fury would take the decision against Usyk because of his reach.
“He’s six foot nine but fights like he’s six foot. That makes you trouble for anyone.
“But I’d certainly like to see Fury versus AJ too. You’d fill Wembley Stadium with that one.”
In terms of his own career, Browne says he has only two, maybe three more fights before retiring to concentrate on his new Scarborough gym – Big Daddy Boxing.
A few weeks back in Dubai, the Aussie was stopped in the sixth round of what had been an entertaining fight against undefeated, and oversized, American Jarrell Miller.
Before that, Big Daddy had earned consecutive stoppage wins himself against Junior Fa and Faiga Opelu.
Asked what was next, the now 43-year-old suggested he would like an all-Australian showdown with undefeated Queenslander Demsey McKean.
“A fight with Demsey would be perfect,” Big Daddy confirmed.
“People know us, want to see us fight.
“I’d be rapt with that one.
“Because I know I’m on the back end.
“Have two, maybe three fights to go then I’m finished.
“But I want to finish off hard, against good competition.
“Yes, I’ve done everything I need to do.
“I’ve been a world champion, got the belts and all that other stuff.
“And I could now go fight three nobodies and knock them over within a round. But that would mean nothing.
“So I want to go out on a good note, but know I’m also my own worst enemy in that regard.
“Because while a lot of fighters look at me and say ‘yeah, I’d beat him no problems’, they also know that if I do land, I’ll likely knock them out.
“Which is great.
“But when it comes to making fights, it also sees people go ‘thanks, but we’d rather not’.
“They know it would be the worst thing for them.
“So while I’d love to get fights against guys like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury – guys with credibility and the money that comes with it — they won’t fight me for that reason.”
Still, Browne insists he has plenty to give before retiring, as proved in his most recent outing against Miller, who usually fights up to 140kg.
“I went into that fight knowing he was going to be heavier,” Big Daddy explained. “Assumed he would be around 130kg, so came in heavier than I normally would too, at 125kg …”
But at the weigh-ins?
“He was 151kg,” Browne laughed.
“That’s a lot of weight considering we’re both the same height.
“I was giving away 26 kilos straight off the bat.
“And, yes, I lost. But I think it was a great fight.
“I won rounds one, two and five. He won three, four and obviously six.
“So it was actually a great back-and-forth between two big heavyweights who stood there punching on with each other. The crowd loved it.
“And I got to fight in Dubai, too … so ticked another one off the bucket list.”