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“Oh, definitely,” says Anthony Joshua as he considers whether his year out of the ring could affect him Saturday night when he defends his world heavyweight titles against Kubrat Pulev in London.
“That is what makes this fight so interesting. This year he has thrown all obstacles at all of us. I can tell you that I’m a million bucks, I’ve been knocking everyone out at sparring, and then I go in there Saturday night and they hit my head because I have a rusty ring. Who knows?
“But I feel good. I am looking forward to it. I have not boxed in so long, but that is why in the confinement I trained a lot physically and mentally.
Joshua has not boxed competitively since reclaiming his titles in a rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr last December and claims that, in an effort to strengthen himself against the rude Pulev, he has allowed his sparring partners to beat him up. “I’ve done a lot of sparring, getting my body hard again, taking hits. Sometimes in sparring I think, ‘I’m going to take this round and let this guy hit me because I need to get tough. I need to have that thick skin. ‘
Joshua won his first 22 fights, while collecting the IBF, WBA and WBO world titles, but 18 months ago he suffered a shocking stoppage loss to Ruiz in New York. Memories of his defeat linger, and Joshua believes the experience of punishing him made him mentally stronger. “The Ruiz fight is buried for me because I made no excuse. I took the loss and solved it four and a half months later [in winning the rematch]. Knowing what it was like to lose and not wanting to go back there has definitely made it harder for me. I want to show myself how good I have become after losing, getting back up, and then being locked up training like an athlete. I want to see the benefits of training like a true athlete for me. “
Pulev has lost just once in 29 bouts, when he was knocked out in his only previous world title fight against Wladimir Klitschko. The Bulgarian can’t match Ruiz’s fast hands, but he’s tenacious and tough. “I’m fighting someone experienced, with a good jab, so I have to duck and dive, slip and slide,” says Joshua. “I cannot be straight and rigid. I’m also going to have to adopt an elusive style, so I’ve had to work on all these aspects tactically. So I’m looking forward to the motivation I used after the Ruiz loss. This is the first opponent I have faced after losing and regaining the title, so it will be a good indication of where I am. “
Pulev and Joshua were originally scheduled to meet in October 2017 in front of a sold out crowd of 70,000 in Cardiff. But Pulev had to be replaced by Carlos Takam after he was injured during training. “Three years ago might have been too early for me,” Joshua suggests. “Now I have more experience. I am wiser. I would never want to lose a fight again. I know how it feels. But Pulev is also wiser. With age comes experience and I will be there with a mentally strong and experienced man ”.
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Joshua is a huge favorite to win on Saturday and Pulev would have had more chances three years ago. “I was thinking about that the other day,” Joshua agrees before revealing that he has been watching a lot of his previous fights.
“I spent a large part of my career not even knowing what I was doing. I was just fighting. I saw the [Eric] Molina fights the other day. I saw a bit of Takam’s fight. I watched the Klitschko fight and thought, ‘Wow! How was he in those kinds of fights with so little experience? So I was just a puppy. ‘ I feel stronger, I feel smarter and it’s the same with the other guys I want to fight. The longer they leave it, the more difficult it will be for them because experience is the best teacher and I am gaining a lot of experience every day in the gym.
“Those three years have taught me a lot. So it has come at a good time for me. I’d have to ask Pulev how he’s feeling, but I’m sure after my loss everyone is saying, ‘Oh, we’re going to exploit Anthony Joshua’s weaknesses’ and all this nonsense. We’ll see how confident he is after my first jab and the right hand hits him in the jaw. “
Book and watch Anthony Joshua vs. Kubrat Pulev on December 12, live on Sky Sports Box Office
