Anthony Joshua has revealed that Oleksandr Usyk has advised him to 'keep a cool head' ahead of his all-British showdown with Tyson Fury on December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.
Joshua enters the fight following a second-round knockout victory over Kristian Prenga, while Fury forced Polish boxing veteran Mariusz Wach to quit on his stool. Joshua was trained by Usyk's team for his wins over Prenga and Jake Paul, and the two heavyweights have become close friends after their two epic encounters in the ring.
Usyk's Advice to Joshua
Usyk, who has beaten Fury twice, has shared his guidance with Joshua. "Usyk will tell me: 'keep a cool head, don't lose yourself in the back and forth,' and that's fair enough," said Joshua on the Mr. Verzace Podcast.
Joshua acknowledged the advice but stressed his independence: "But ultimately, as I go back to saying, a lot of people are going to tell me what they think is best, but only I can follow myself. If I want to talk, I want to talk, and that's just how I feel."
Joshua's Mindset for the Fight
Reflecting on tactics, Joshua said: "It's all about who you truly are. It doesn't matter what people tell you. I can watch a film and see a thing that I can exploit a million times, but when you're in the heat of battle, it's truly what's in there—it's what's deep inside you."
He added: "And I really want to win, so I don't care if it's a left, a right, if I got to go southpaw, I just got to do what I got to do to get the victory, and that's really where I'm coming from."
Usyk's Prediction
Joshua has reunited with Ben Davison for the Fury fight. Usyk initially predicted a brutal stoppage for his friend but has since changed his forecast. "It is a good fight, it is a 50/50," said Usyk. "A lot of fans have waited for the fight for 10 years because it is two big stars in the UK and a lot of fans around the world want this fight, me [I] too want this fight! I want to watch this fight because it's like a choice of who is the only king of the UK."
