"I wouldn't want to be on a ring with me" - Joshua warns Usyk before match
Anthony Joshua said on Wednesday that his highly-anticipated showdown against Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Saturday will be one of the toughest fight of his career, but added that if he were his opponent "I wouldn't want to be on a ring with someone like me."
Joshua also talked the upcoming match between Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury and predicted that Wilder will be the winner 'because he seems obsessed.'
Joshua has height and reach advantages and will almost certainly be heavier when he defends his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles this weekend against Usyk, but the Ukrainian has a breathtaking skill set.
Usyk won gold at London 2012 the day before Joshua in the division below and is a former undisputed world cruiserweight champion.
Joshua is taking on his WBO mandatory because a bout against Fury fell through - despite months of protracted back and forth negotiations - after the WBC champion was ordered to defend his crown against Wilder.
It is hoped that if both Joshua and Fury, who fights Wilder for a third time on 9th October come through their respective latest tests then a mouthwatering clash between the two compatriots can be arranged next year.