Nigerian-born world boxing heavyweight champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua has tagged his upcoming title defence against Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine as ‘the second toughest fight’ of his career.
Megasportsarena.com reports that ‘AJ’ stated as much heading into next weekend’s bout at Tottenham Stadium in London, where the champ admitted he will face a stiff test from the mandaory challenger.
The Briton, who won Olympic Games gold at London 2012, further opined that Usyk sits only second to another Ukrainian former heavyweight, Wladimir Klitschko, as the toughest opponent he has faced in his career.
Joshua is set to put his IBF, WBO and WBA on the line against the undefeated Usyk, ahead of which the champion admitted he is wary of what his Ukrainian can do, but added that he is sharpening his mind to avoid mentally fatiguing against his opponent’s unique movement.
Joshua told Sky Sports: “100 per cent, he will be. Movement means you are never stationery to get hit. Movement is important.
“Concentration – when you want to [punch], you lock in, then make a move. You have to make sure your brain works.
“That can be mentally fatiguing so I am sharpening the mind so that I can concentrate for the 12 rounds. Also I practice having the ability to [punch] four times, not just once.
“Concentrate, take your time, pin him down. It’s a fight for the brain. Knowing what you’ve got in front of you and knowing how to deal with it.
“You can either be aggressive, corner [him], throw everything at it. Or take your time, be clever, then knock [him] out.”
