“I wanted to outbox my opponent, whether it was Usyk or whoever, that was the mentality [in the first fight]. I wanted to take my opponent out and on Saturday I want to crush my opponent,” Joshua told Sky Sports News. “That’s the mindset now.” Joshua acknowledges that an action-packed, destructive approach was the key to so much of his early career success. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Lauren Price and Karriss Artingstall weigh in on how Anthony Joshua will need to approach his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk “I was an amateur for three and a half years and I did a lot in that time and I asked myself how? It wasn’t in the skill element, because I was outclassed in terms of skill and experience by many of my competitors on the world stage, but that aggression,” he reflected. “That will was something that couldn’t be denied. Then as you get more experience, you try to develop into a well-rounded athlete. But ultimately, you can’t take your eye off the factor of what got you to where you are. , as you said, this aggression.” In that sense, Joshua will bring back his old self for this fight with Usyk. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player The world heavyweight title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua returns to Sky Sports Box Office on August 20 “It’s never really been lost. The path is always there. It’s not like I’m trying to rediscover a path. I always figure out where that is. I’ve just tried to be more elusive and add more strings to my bow,” he said. . “I’ve been focusing more on different things in my career, like getting a better jab, hitting and not getting hit. You have to focus on that aggressive aspect, that competitive spirit, and at the end of the day, I don’t care about your jab, I don’t care how good that jab is, I don’t care how good it is. I don’t care how good you are – my competitive spirit will overcome all obstacles. “This is something you should never neglect in your pursuit of improvements. Your competitive nature can take you very far.” Against Usyk this time, Joshua promises to come back with a vengeance.
AJ: Unless Fury is 100% retired, you have to beat him too
Victory in this rematch would see Joshua reclaim the WBO, WBA and IBF titles he lost to Usyk in September. But even then he wouldn’t consider himself the best heavyweight in the world, not without fighting Tyson Fury. “Unless he’s 100% retired, you’ve got to beat Fury too,” Joshua told Sky Sports News. “It’s not about Fury, with all due respect. That’s just my take on it. As it is, 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’ll always be challenged to prove you’re the best in the world. The moment you say you’re the best, that’s the time to pack up. That’s enough for this Tyson Fury situation.” Listen to the latest Toe2Toe podcast from the heart of Usyk vs. Joshua fight week Anthony Joshua’s massive heavyweight rematch against Oleksandr Usyk is on Saturday 20 August, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Usyk vs Joshua 2 now!
