Anthony Joshua is calm personified ahead of his bid to become a three-time world heavyweight champion – ‘the lion is ready to hunt’.
The 34-year-old British superstar challenges Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in front of more than 96,000 fans at London’s iconic Wembley Stadium on Saturday. And a victory would take him into the history books alongside the likes of the great Muhammad Ali.
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There are no nerves though for a man who is right back at the peak of his powers – any doubts in his mind after those back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 are absolutely gone.
AJ back to his devastating best
Since the second of those losses Joshua has rebuilt his reputation in stunning style by reeling off four victories – each one more impressive than the last.
The most recent two victories have come under the tutelage of new trainer Ben Davison – who once headed up the corner of a certain Tyson Fury. In blasting out Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou Joshua truly looked once again like the devastating force of old.
Now, as he prepares for the moment of destiny in the ring on Saturday night, Joshua is relaxed and confident in the preparation he has gone through.
READ MORE: Latest heavyweight rankings ahead of Joshua vs Dubois blockbuster
Joshua told Matchroom Boxing: “It’s another day for me. We’re going to do some media stuff. Spirits are good actually. I’ve prepared for this so it’s not taking time out of my schedule. It fits in well. It’s another day, another lion in the jungle. It’s another lion ready to hunt. It’s just another day for me.
“Preparation is everything. 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. I’m good.”
‘Preparation is everything’
While another belt is the reward on Saturday night, Joshua says he is not even thinking about that just yet – he is just focused on performance. Confident in the knowledge that if the performance is right, the result will be as well.
“I’m not looking that far ahead because that’s just the icing on the cake. I’ve said to myself, precisely, performance is the most important thing for me. Mentality is the most important thing for me. All of the other stuff will follow that.
READ MORE: Who are boxing’s three-time world heavyweight champions?
“Three-time, I’ve done it once I’ve done it twice – nothing has really changed and I’ve had to work extremely hard to improve my performance so I’m fully focused on my performances. That’s what will bring me all the glitz and glam and glory.”
