Unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua 24-1 (22) doesn’t get paid for overtime.
The 31-year-old Briton is aiming to knock out his opponent Oleksandr Usyk 18-0 (13) when they clash at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in Tottenham, England on Saturday night.
“You always aim to prepare for a 12-round fight but hope to cut it short – you aim to knock people out,” Joshua told Sky Sports.
Ukrainian southpaw Usyk, 34, has never been hurt in a pro fight but Joshua plans on changing that.
“You learn where their strengths are, where their weaknesses are,” Joshua said. “He has good stamina. So we work around, not just losing weight, but rounds of sparring and rounds on the heavy bag to generate good stamina.
“We build boxing memory in our muscles so they don’t get fatigued when they are exploding on the opponent’s body and face.”
The working theory is that Joshua will need to rely on his power to get past the slick-boxing Usyk, but the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion doesn’t see it that way.
“I can outbox him, of course I can,” he said. “And I can out-strength him. You have to have a bit of aggression, boxing skill, head movement. There is not just one factor that determines a fight.
“Obviously we have our go to our strength. I will use my strengths. But it’s called a boxing match for a reason.
“I love the sweet science. I will display my boxing skills, but I won’t make it too complicated in there.”
Usyk has boxed just twice at heavyweight in the past two years after unifying all four major titles at cruiserweight.
Those victories were a seventh-round stoppage of late replacement Chazz Witherspoon in Chicago in October 2018 and a close fought unanimous decision victory over gatekeeper Dereck Chisora in London one year later.
“I am not going to be nervous, why would I be?” Usyk said to reporters.
“It will be more difficult for him because three titles and fighting and defending at home. A bald guy will come to his home country and look for a big fight.
“It will be a great pleasure to box here again, I love London and the UK. It is my lucky place.
“At the moment, I am watching a British series drama, Peaky Blinders! Everything looks like real life.
“My favourite character is the boss, Thomas. It is the way a family should function, protecting and standing up for each other. And he looks very cool in the way he dresses.”
Usyk knows he is in for a challenge. At around 215-pounds he will be the much smaller man in the ring against Joshua, who typically weighs in around the 245-pound mark.
“This is the biggest fight of my career right now,” he said. “My opponent is the biggest, an Olympic champion with three world titles. He is a cool opponent.
“I am looking forward to the victory. I have put in all the work and effort and I will demonstrate what it means to me.”
Both boxers have outstanding amateur pedigrees. Usyk won gold at the London Olympics in the heavyweight division while Joshua claimed the same medal in the super heavyweight class.
A year earlier at the World Amateur Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Usyk picked up the gold at heavyweight while Joshua went on to win the silver at super heavyweight.
“He is joking if he says he does not remember me from back then,” Usyk said. “I do remember him and have been watching his fights for a long time.
“In 2012 I was not thinking about fighting him because I was not a professional, but it was obvious that he would become a superstar even back then.
“He has a combination of factors, he was a UK heavyweight with many other things going for him. He was made to be a superstar.”
