Anthony Joshua will be looking to rip his lost titles from Oleksandr Usyk when they meet for their rematch next March.
Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) is changing his personability along with his fighting style for his rematch with IBF/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs).
Joshua is going through a lot of mental torment in the aftermath of his 12 round unanimous decision defeat against Usyk on September 25th.
It was a bitter pill for Joshua to swallow in that defeat, and it’s bothered him because he knows he could have won if he’d fought a different way.
AJ realizes now that he’s got to go back to his roots and fight in the aggressive way that he used to earlier in his career and in the amateur ranks.
Joshua wants to take Usyk’s soul
“With the game plan, that’s all I have on my mind at the minute, that one track. Stay on course, take this guy to a place where he doesn’t want to go,” said Anthony Joshua to iFL TV on his fight with Usyk.
“He’s [Usyk] people that have tried to rough him up,” said Joshua. “For me, I have one thing on my mind. War, that’s murder.
That’s go out and hurt the guy and take his soul to the point where he wants to give up. That’s what boxing is about. I’ve learned heavyweight boxing is war. Sometimes you have to walk through punches.
“Tyson [Fury] can come to watch me train,” said Joshua. “Sparring isn’t fighting. So he’s more than welcome to step into the gym and give me some tips.
“I’m not fighting him next anyway so he doesn’t have anything to worry about. It’s difficult fighting southpaws. Otto Wallin gave him problems in their fight. Usyk gave me problems in the fight,” said Joshua.
We’re going to find out if Joshua’s new style change will help or hurt him in the rematch. It’s nice that Joshua is sounding confident right now, but that’s not going to mean anything unless he can prove it.
Joshua: “Stay hungry, f*** being humble”
“It’s tricky fighting southpaws. They’re good little technicians,” said Joshua on fighting the southpaw Usyk. “If I get this win, and he sits tight, then hopefully, we can get this undisputed fight.
“For anybody that is telling me not to fight this guy, they mustn’t know me. They mustn’t know where I come from.
“I can’t have warm-ups,” said Joshua. “I don’t want a warm-up. Even if I had the opportunity for a warm-up.
“Who is a warm-up for me? For me, I’d got to Ukraine if I had to. If that was the final option, I’d go to Ukraine.
“Usyk, as the champion, you have to ask him because he’s probably wanting to maximize his last payday.
“So, I’m coming for the belts, boy,” said Joshua to Usyk. “Stay hungry, f*** being humble.”
If Joshua wins this fight, he will be fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship next, be it against Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte, or whoever has the WBC title in their possession by 2022.
For all we know, Fury will vacate his WBC title, leaving it for Dillian Whyte and either Deontay Wilder or Andy Ruiz Jr. to fight over it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWVKPzG5JYk
