Anthony Joshua says his relaxed demeanor is all down to the fact he is so prepared as his showdown with IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel Dubois fast approaches.
Joshua (28-3-0 25 KO) takes on Dubois (21-2-0 20 KO) in the headline bout of a massive Riyadh Season show at Wembley Stadium in London, England on Saturday.
The stakes are huge for both fighters; Dubois is aiming to win his first bout as world champion and prove that he belongs at the pinnacle having been promoted from interim title holder following Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to vacate the belt ahead of his rematch with Tyson Fury in December.
Joshua, meanwhile, will know victory will make him only the fifth fighter in history to become a three-time heavyweight world champion, following in the footsteps of all-time greats Muhammad Ali, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, and Vitali Klitschko.
To ramp up the pressure further, the bout will take place in front of an estimated 94,000 fans inside England’s national soccer stadium.
While fight week is usually associated with a build-up in tension, Joshua has cut a relaxed figure in the past few days, his experience of such occasions certainly helping him to channel his emotions. However, he says the key to his calmness is his preparation.
“Preparation is everything,” Joshua said. “If you prepare, you’re relaxed, because you’ve taken yourself there physically. You’ve taken yourself there mentally, and you truly believe in yourself. So I’m good.”
As one of the biggest stars in boxing, AJ is also fully accustomed to the hype and attention that surrounds these events, adding: “Another day for me. Do some media stuff. Spirits are good, actually. Prepared for this. So it’s not like taking time out of my schedule. Fits in well. And another day, another lion in the jungle, another lion ready to hunt. It’s just another day for me.”
Saturday represents the culmination of Joshua’s latest revival following damaging successive defeats to Usyk in 2021 and 2022. The first fight, also in London, saw AJ get pummeled around the ring but still stay on his feet on his way to a unanimous loss that ended his second reign as the division’s unified champion.
Determined to get his belts back, Joshua was granted the immediate rematch 11 months later, and while he pushed the Ukrainian close in Saudi Arabia, Usyk put his foot on the gas in the championship rounds to shade a split decision.
Since then, AJ has worked hard to develop as a more well-rounded fighter and his partnership with trainer Ben Davison seems to be working, leading to his two most recent wins over Otto Wallin and MMA star Francis Ngannou.
Dubois, though, represents his toughest challenge since Usyk, but Joshua insists he’s ready to go.
“You can’t arrive here without having some sort of promise to be here,” he said. “It has to be within you somewhere, because you can’t just get here on pure luck. So yeah, we’re here. We’ve arrived. And if we can, let’s toast to a big show in Wembley. Let’s go.”
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