Anthony Joshua has vowed to embrace the pressure ahead of his clash with Tyson Fury, insisting that expectation should drive him forward rather than hold him back.
Joshua and Fury will clash in Cardiff on December 11 as they look to settle a long-running rivalry which has been brewing for a decade. Fury is expected to start as the favourite for the all-British showdown, but Joshua insists he will relish the occasion.
Joshua on pressure and preparation
The Olympic champion was speaking at the launch of Under Armour's HeatGear and ColdGear Baselayers, a range designed for athletes who embrace pressure rather than shy away from it.
He said: "Pressure comes with every part of this sport. Every training session, every fight, every expectation. I've learned that you shouldn’t run from it. You have to embrace it and when you've put the work in, pressure becomes something that drives you forward."
Fight organisers and Fury's mind games
Meanwhile, Joshua believes the fight's organisers want Fury to win. "I believe that, yeah," he said last month. "I want to do good, I want to bring it to the UK and do good for people and do the right thing. But if that means that people will then hate me and want to see me fail, then I am going to stomp all over you and raise a war that you are not ready for."
"I want to do good, but if someone hits you, you stab them. If you f*** with me and you want to see me lose, I will f*** you up even more. It’s like that now. That’s just how it is. That’s just my mentality. Now it’s just ‘f*** everyone’ and that’s just it."
Joshua also addressed the mind games he expects from Fury in the build-up. "He’ll be trying to get under my skin, 100 per cent. I need to be stoic and calm because it’s nothing personal. I know what sort of person he is."
