Anthony Joshua vows to bring aggression back to his boxing as he prepares to fight Oleksandr Usyk
Anthony Joshua is looking to bringing the ‘aggressive aspect’ back to the forefront of his boxing, as he prepares for a rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday night.
Usyk stripped Joshua of his World Heavyweight Championship titles when he beat the Brit by unanimous decision last December.
There will be an extra belt up for grabs on Saturday after Tyson Fury vacated the Ring Magazine title earlier this month.
Anthony Joshua takes on Oleksandr Usyk in a rematch in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night
‘I wanted to outbox my opponent, whether it was Usyk or anyone else, that was the mindset [in the first fight],’ Joshua told Sky Sports.
‘I wanted to outbox my opponent and on Saturday I want to smash my opponent.
‘I was amateur for three and a half years and I done a lot in that time and I asked myself how? It wasn’t down to the skill element, because I was outclassed in terms of skill and experience by a lot of my competitors on the world scene.’
The boxer went on to explain how he had at times taken a too technical approach and not focused enough on what had made him initially successful. He said: ‘As you get more experience you try to develop as a rounded athlete. But ultimately, you can’t take your eye off the factor of what got you to where you are which is that aggressiveness.’
Usyk won Joshua’s titles after beating him by unanimous decision last September
‘It’s not like I’m trying to rediscover a path. I always understand where that is. I just tried to be more elusive and add more strings to my bow.
‘I was focusing more on different things in my career, for example having a better jab, hitting and not getting hit.’
Joshua continued: ‘You’ve got to focus on that aggressive aspect, that competitive spirit and at the end of the day, I don’t give a damn about your jab, I don’t care how good that jab is, I don’t care how good this is. I don’t care how good you are – my competitive spirit will overcome all obstacles.
‘That is something you should never neglect in your search for improvements. Your competitive nature can take you a long way.’
The Ring Magazine title will be available after it was vacated by Tyson Fury
Joshua ended by touching on Tyson Fury’s recent title vacation and retirement announcement, saying: ‘Unless he’s 100 per cent retired, you’ve got to beat Fury as well [to be the best heavyweight in the world].
‘This isn’t about Fury, with all due respect. That’s just my view on that. As it stands you’re just a winner, you’re a winner at the end of the day. There’s always another challenge out there.
‘Until you retire, you’re always going to be challenged to prove you’re the best in the world. The minute you say you’re the best, is the minute you should pack up. That’s enough on that Tyson Fury situation.’
