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Anthony Joshua has revealed that Oleksandr Usyk’s team urged him to “show greatness” as the two heavyweight giants train together ahead of the Briton’s comeback fight.
Joshua has been training with his former opponent as he prepares for his fight against Christian Prenga in Saudi Arabia this Saturday.
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Joshua is eyeing a fight against Tyson Fury if he can beat Prenga this weekend
The 36-year-old, a two-time world heavyweight champion, revealed how Usyk’s team asked him to raise his standards ahead of the expected British fight with Tyson Fury later this year.
“This is an elite team. I saw how he prepared for Rico Verhoeven (who Usyk may beat),” Joshua told Sky Sports.
“But in the end, it’s all up to Usyk and it’s up to me to do the job. The team has given us what we need; now it’s up to us to do the job.
Joshua and Usyk fought twice in 2021 and 2022
“I’m pretty good at what I do anyway. I’m pretty strong. I can take, I can give, so sometimes I can get away with doing enough but still being good enough.
“But these guys are like, ‘No.’ They want to see more. They want to see more, like take it out.
“Let’s bring out the good things in you and let’s improve. And my approach to training has definitely improved a lot.”
However, Joshua admitted that training and fighting are two very different things.
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Joshua explained that Usic’s camp is motivating him to ‘show his greatness’
“Sometimes in a fight, you don’t have that luxury to improvise,” he explained. “You’re struggling because you’re in a moment that puts a lot of pressure on your shoulders.
“So you’re performing at your best, but performing at this level should be normal. That’s what USIC’s team said. Your greatness should be something you do in the gym every day.
“So doing that on fight night shouldn’t make any difference. You don’t have to push yourself to that level where you’re under so much pressure. That’s a moment where you show greatness.
“You should be able to do it from the first round.”
Joshua is out to show his ruthless side
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Usyk previously backed Joshua to defeat Tyson Fury
In his career, Joshua won 29 of his 33 professional bouts, 26 of which came by knockout.
He insists he can still display that raw aggression and will do so when the moment comes to fight Prenga this weekend.
“That’s the name of the game. There’s no overtime,” he said.
“If I can finish it, believe me, I will. But I know what my heart is telling me. I know what I have to do.
“And however long it takes me, I’ll be satisfied with that. I’ve got to make sure I’m victorious.”
