Anthony Joshua plans to “draw” Oleksandr Usyk at the World Championships: “It’s a battle for the brain” | Boxing news

Anthony Joshua “sharpens his mind” to avoid “mentally tiring” when he encounters Oleksandr Usyk’s unique movement.

The Joshua Heavyweight IBF, WBA and WBO Championships are in line against Usyk 25. September, live Sky Sports ticket sales, London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Joshua explained exclusively to Sky Sports why Usyk’s footwork makes him the hardest opponent ever: “100% he’s going to be. Movement means you’re never stationery to get hits. Movement is important.

“Focus – whenever you want [punch], you lock and then make a movement. You need to make sure your brain is working.

“It can be mentally tiring, so I’ll sharpen my mind so I can focus on 12 laps.

“I also practice ability [punch] four times, not just once.

“Focus, take your time and fix him.

“It’s a battle for the brain. Knowing what you have in front of you, and knowing how to deal with it.

“You can either be aggressive, angle [him], throw everything into it. Or use your time, be smart and then tap [him] out. “

The invincible Ukrainian Usyk, a former undisputed champion of cruiser weight, rises to the level of the heavyweight league aiming to be only the third boxer to have ever dominated in both divisions.

Joshua carries considerably more weight on the ring (in his most recent weighing, he was almost two stones heavier than Usyk), but tries to reduce his own size to match Usyk’s agility.

“I look at my weight, but I’m not trying to lose weight because I’m heavyweight,” he said.

“I tailored my training. I get a lot of experience, I’ve fought good fighters for a long time, I’ve researched them and learned from their training camps.

“I’ve learned to take care of my body for certain battles.

– I’m looking for a race for this fight.

“I’m fighting a guy who is a 12 round fighter. So it would be silly to go there with my big muscles screaming oxygen.

“I’ve trained like a 15-round fighter in this camp. I’m in good shape to fight. That’s the key.

“What happens when I train this way? My body adapts and gets its natural shape. This is the shape it has taken.”

Joshua has had to recruit sparring partners to replicate Usyk’s southern paw status, including Thomas Carty of Ireland and Shokran Parwani of Germany.

“I want good sparring, hard sparring because you practice your performance,” Joshua said.

“We get really good sparring partners. You don’t want to leave everything to the gym. But as long as you train on purpose, you’re going to learn.

“The difficulty is when you find out who you are. So I put myself in a vulnerable position and I feel comfortable.

“Boys with more power than I do, faster than me, a longer dimension than I do, a faster explosion than I do. With the process, I evolve too.

“It’s a process I go through and adjust to the southern paw.”