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Anthony Joshua: ‘Power is in your spirit,’ says challenger Usyk ahead of showdown


The Briton will put his IBF, WBA and WBO belts on the road on Saturday towards the undefeated Usyk, a former cruiserweight who’s 18-0 in his skilled profession.

“Folks discuss lots… we’ll see on Saturday what occurs… as a result of the ability is in your spirit, it isn’t about being massive or small,” mentioned Usyk, who has fought solely twice earlier than as a heavyweight.

Whereas new to the heavyweight division, Usyk tore by the cruiserweight class after turning professional eight years in the past, turning into one in all boxing’s uncommon unified champions in 2018 by successful all 4 belts within the class.

“David Haye was thrice smaller than Nikolai Valuev which reveals that it would not matter,” he mentioned. The 34-year-old added that he anticipated a chess match within the preliminary rounds of the bout.

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Joshua, who final fought in December 2020 when he knocked out Bulgarian challenger Kubrat Pulev, mentioned: “Pleased to be again once more, you need to need to prepare and put the work in and enhance and practise… I am not a simple combat for anybody, I like preventing. God has blessed me, proven me the trail to get into boxing.”

The 31-year-old was slated to tackle compatriot Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia this yr however the combat was cancelled after an American arbitrator ordered Fury to tackle Deontay Wilder in a 3rd bout.

“This combat provides me the motivation to practise. I need to give increasingly every day. I am nonetheless in camp now, that is simply one other day in camp … if you happen to inform me I used to be preventing King Kong I’d give it a go. That is my job,” mentioned Joshua forward of the bout at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Usyk mentioned that the combat had the potential to make historical past. “I am grateful that that is occurring … folks will keep in mind this combat for a very long time.”

Joshua added that he had studied quite a lot of his opponent and was a fan of the Ukrainian’s fashion of boxing. “(Usyk) was preventing 10 or 12 years as an newbie earlier than he went to the Olympics, and the worlds, so he’s in all probability completely happy to be on this place — the cream at all times rises to the highest.”



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