"I’ve wasted 20 years of my life" - Boxer Joshua John fumes after removal from Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios undercard with zero explanation
Joshua John recently expressed his discontent after being unexpectedly dropped from the Nick Ball vs. Ronny Rios undercard without any explanation. John was supposed to challenge British and Commonwealth bantamweight champion Andrew Cain this weekend at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.
However, the 29-year-old Brit took to social media last week to announce that the British Boxing Board of Control had rejected the fight and apologized to his fans, who had been looking forward to the matchup.
During a recent interview with BoxingScene, John shared his thoughts on the cancellation of his bout and the disappointment of missing out on his first title shot. The rising boxer voiced his frustration and lamented that discovering the situation at the eleventh hour had rendered his entire training camp a waste:
"I can’t believe my fight has officially been called off. I feel like I haven’t just wasted this training camp, but I’ve wasted 20 years of my life. I’ve trained my whole life for this opportunity, and now, with only two weeks left, it’s been taken away from me. I know I would’ve won that fight, and it would’ve changed my life and my family’s life—that’s the only reason I do this sport."
John further criticized the British Boxing Board and stated that he had dedicated his entire life to this pursuit, only to have his goals abruptly taken away from him:
"Honestly, I don’t even know what to say. This sport feels like a joke. All the money I’ve spent and the training I’ve done, not just for this fight but for the last 20 years, has been for nothing. I’m nearly 30 now, and if I’m not allowed to fight for titles like this at this stage, when will I ever be?"
Following John’s removal from the bout, Cain is now poised to compete for the vacant WBC International Silver bantamweight title against Lazaro Casseres at the same event.
What is Joshua John's boxing record?
Joshua John made his professional debut in 2019 and has since built a record of 10-2, with all of his victories coming by way of decision.
The Englishman is coming off consecutive victories earlier this year after suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Brad Strand in December 2023, marking the second setback of his career. John faced his first loss in May 2022, experiencing a one-sided defeat against Mark McKeown.