Anthony Joshua opens up on Oleksandr Usyk defeat
Two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (24-2, 22KOs) says he tried to outbox Oleksandr Usyk (19-0, 13KOs) during their heavyweight title fight last year to prove he was not just some "big, stiff body-builder".
The taunt is often aimed at him by heavyweight rival Tyson Fury, who were meant to meet in a unification clash in the summer of 2021.
'AJ', 32, lost his WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight belts when Ukrainian Usyk won by unanimous decision in September in his own back yard in north London.
Joshua told Sky Sports: "I belong on the big stage, I belong as a champion, I belong amongst the names of this current generation, and you'll see why.
"If I didn't fight the best, I may not have lost. And I know people have high expectations of me as well, I think sometimes that's why they're shocked, and I have high expectations of myself as well, that's when I feel like when I lost the first time, I said I never made no excuses but I had my reason and I always felt 'cool, ya know', I took my loss but I knew I'll get it back, so I just brushed that one [aside], but this one hurt because I was 100 per cent, no problems, everything was cool; went in there and I just lost to the better man on the night.
"Usyk came up from cruiserweight, great fighter, 12-round fighter, I wanted to box with him for 12 rounds to show, becasue there was always this stigma that I can't box, I'm a 'big stiff body-builder', so I said 'alright, cool, let me practise my boxing'.
"I tried practising my boxing with Usyk. It didn't go the decision. He won nine rounds, I won three. Next fight, I win four more rounds – I win. So, let me simplify that matter, and I'll then get on the road to being undisputed champion again.
"That hurt but it gave me motivation to pull myself out of that position where mentally it killed me and I fought my way back and I'll redeem myself."
Joshua has said he will be making changes to the preparation for his rematch and listening to motivational speakers to strengthen his mindset. He has been training in Dubai with Chris Eubank Jr. and visiting various gyms across America to work with different trainers.
He discussed the rematch, scheduled for spring, "Well let's focus on quality, let's focus on what's needed, and it hasn't come from the top – down, I'm the last piece of the puzzle I'm the last performance, so we're talking about game-planning, mindset and brain training.
"I approach the sparring [asking] 'What are we getting out of it?'; dietry needs, sleep, recovery, because this is the biggest stage of my career, fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world.
Defeat by Usyk dashed Joshua's immediate hopes of a unification bout with Fury, who won his trilogy bout with Deontay Wilder in October to retain his WBC belt.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn has triggered a rematch clause against the Ukrainian, while British rival Dillian Whyte has been named as Fury's mandatory challenger by the World Boxing Council.
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