ANTHONY JOSHUA would love to honour Muhammad Ali’s memory by doing the heavyweight legend’s famous shuffle against Dominic Breazeale.
But the IBF world champion has joked that Breazeale, 30, may not be in the ring long enough for him to pull it off.
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With a beaming smile on his face, Joshua said: “I would love to do an Ali shuffle, it would be class.
“I would love to do it but you get lost in the moment in the ring and I don’t think Breazeale will last longer than 30 seconds. I’m joking!”
Joshua has not planned a dedicated tribute to Ali, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 74, for his first title defence at London’s O2 Arena on June 25.
But The Greatest will forever be an inspiration to the Olympic gold medallist — as he showed with his ring attire when he won the IBF belt from Charles Martin in April.
AJ, 26, said: “I did a tribute for the last fight by wearing the all white gown and shorts because it was the heavyweight championship of the world.
“Normally I wear the leather sleeveless top to the ring. This was more of a gown. I will keep that.
“I don’t want to make it a tribute to Ali because I don’t want to be jumping on the bandwagon.
“I will try the shuffle. Imagine I shuffle and he just goes ‘bang’ and puts me down!”
Although a quick-fire knockout would send his fans home happy, Joshua would like the fight with Breazeale to last a bit longer.
The Watford star knocked out Martin inside two rounds at The O2 and is keen to show there is more to him than just a curtain-closing right hand.
He added: “If I want to make this fight longer it will go longer. I want to be confident enough to control a fight and do what I want to do.
“At the minute I knock them out but I want to be able to say ‘no I won’t take it now, it will come’. Then you can control a fight from start to finish.”