Joshua: "Usik is one of the best opponents in my career"

"He's one of the best opponents I've had to deal with in my entire career," admitted Anthony Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs). The day after tomorrow, the London Olympic champion's opponent will be Alexander Usik (18-0, 13 KOs), the former all-around heavyweight champion.

"Back to this guy, he's really good. He was an amateur world and Olympic champion and then combined all the belts in the 90.7-pound weight class. His accomplishments speak for themselves, this will be one of the toughest fights for me. Derek Chisora gave him trouble recently, but Derek causes trouble for everyone. Sometimes you have to go through fights and opponents like Derek to develop yourself and take the next steps forward. Anyway, I've known Chisora for years, we've stood in pairs many times, and I know it may seem easy from the outside, but when you're in the ring with him, things suddenly become complicated. It was a good fight for Usik. I studied him thoroughly and thoroughly," the IBF, WBA and WBO belt holder added.

"AJ and Derek are completely different boxers, but Anthony will have to play with Usik a little bit Chisora style. It will be important for him to apply pressure to take advantage of his physicality and strength," said Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter.