Anthony Joshua has revealed that Oleksandr Usyk’s team urged him to “show greatness” as the two heavyweight giants trained together ahead of the Briton’s comeback fight.
Joshua trained alongside his former opponent as he prepared for his fight against Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
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Joshua is eyeing up a bout against Tyson Fury if he can beat Prenga this weekend
The 36-year-old, a two-time world heavyweight champion, revealed how Usyk’s team told him to raise his standards even higher ahead of an expected British battle with Tyson Fury later this year.
“It’s an elite team. I got to see how he prepared for Rico Verhoeven [who Usyk beat in May],” Joshua told Sky Sports.
“But ultimately, it’s all down to Usyk, and it’s all down to me to do the work. The team has given us everything we need; now it’s just down to us to do the work.
Joshua and Usyk fought twice in 2021 and 2022
“I’m quite good at what I do anyway. I’m quite strong. I can take, I can give, so sometimes I can just get away with doing enough but still be good enough.
“But these guys are like, ‘nah’. They want to see more. They want to see more, like bring it out.
“Let’s bring out the good stuff that you’ve got in you and let’s improve. And my approach to training has definitely improved a lot.”
Joshua acknowledged, though, that training and fighting are two very different things.
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Joshua explained that Usyk’s camp have been motivating him to ‘showcase his greatness’
“Sometimes in a fight, you don’t have that luxury to make improvements,” he explained. “You’re fighting because you’re in such a moment that puts so much pressure on your shoulders.
“So you’re performing at your best, but it should be normal to perform at this level. That’s what Usyk’s team were saying. Your greatness should just be something that you do every day in the gym.
“So doing it on fight night shouldn’t make no difference. You shouldn’t have to take yourself to that level where you’re under so much pressure. It’s a do-or-die moment where you show greatness.
“You should be able to do it from round one.”
Joshua out to showcase his ruthless side
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Usyk has previously backed Joshua to beat Tyson Fury
Over the course of his career, Joshua has won 29 of his 33 professional bouts, with 26 of those victories coming by knockout.
He insists he can still showcase that raw aggression and will do so should the moment come this weekend in his fight against Prenga.
“That’s the name of the game. There’s no overtime,” he said.
“If I can end it, trust me, I will. But I know what my mind is telling me. I know what I have to do.
“And however long it takes me, I’ll be content with. I just have to make sure I’m victorious.”
