Carlos Takam believes the element of surprise will allow him to stun Joe Joyce in their huge heavyweight showdown in London on Saturday night.
Veteran Frenchman Takam (39-5-1) knows that Joyce had been preparing to face WBO mandatory contender Oleksandr Usyk before the Ukrainian was instead handed an immediate title shot against Anthony Joshua thanks to the collapse of Joshua vs Tyson Fury.
Joyce and Usyk had already met several years ago in the amateurs, so there was an element of knowledge already in place for Joe. Takam though says that won’t be the case now for Saturday’s showdown at SSE Arena, Wembley (live on BT Sport).
Takam vows he will surprise Joe
He said: “I am a more difficult fight for Joe than Usyk. Joe knows Usyk because they boxed before and Usyk knows Joe.
“I am a problem because Joe has never fought someone like Carlos Takam. How am I going to fight him? It’s a surprise.
“I have experience. He has never fought anybody with my experience. That’s why I say he hasn’t fought anyone like me.”
Joyce vs Takam should be an all-action affair, featuring two men who never take a step backwards. Both have terrific chins and power, and Carlos knows exactly what is coming.
Predicting fireworks
“He is going to try and put me down, I am going to try and put him down. Whoever puts someone down first is the winner,” he added.
“I want to hurt him like he is going to want to hurt me. We are going to punch each other and I am ready for that fight.”
Joyce (12-0) has not fought since that career-best knockout of Daniel Dubois last November, and he knows that victory will cement his position as the next mandatory challenger for the WBO title. Joshua defends that belt against Usyk on September 25 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
