Anthony Joshua 24-2 (22) has opened up about his plan to regain the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles from Oleksandr Usyk 19-0 (13) when they meet in the northern summer.
In their first bout at Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium in Tottenham, England last September, Joshua was largely outboxed by the Ukrainian southpaw, losing by scores of 112-117, 113-115 and 112-116.
In the wake of the loss the 32-year-old Brit was widely panned for attempting to outbox a master boxer instead of imposing his natural size and strength on the former undisputed cruiserweight champion.
Much of the criticism was directed at Joshua’s then-lead coach Rob McCracken for deploying the wrong game plan and failing to instruct Joshua to make adjustments in the fight.
McCracken remains part of Joshua’s coaching staff but the former unified champion has now elevated assistant coach Angel Fernandez to the head coaching role.
Joshua enacted the immediate rematch clause in his contract but the fight looked in jeopardy when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Usyk joined a territorial defence battalion alongside fellow boxer Vasiliy Lomachenko but was granted leave by the government to prepare for the fight.
The second go round will likely take place in July with London or Saudi Arabia being the frontrunners to host the event.
Joshua says he is going to come in with a different approach for the rematch and has admitted his game plan for the first fight wasn’t ideal.
“The fight with Usyk, in my mind, was going for 12 rounds,” Joshua said to a group of students at the Oxford Union.
“That was my game plan because I thought I could compete with him as a boxer. And I think he won two more rounds than I did. That’s how he became champion.
“So the goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout.
“I always feel, when I’m sparring or fighting people, I actually see their spirit get dampened.
“Honestly, when you’re looking at this person directly in their eyes and watching their body, you can read the body and punch after punch this person is slowly fading.
“Now when you’re boxing, the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. So you’re kind of boxing to stay away. That’s not really my style.
“My style is to be up close and personal and make it difficult for the person. So that’s the game plan.”
It won’t be the first time Joshua has been in this situation. After losing the same three belts in his US debut to Andy Ruiz Jr by seventh-round knockout at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden in June 2019, he moved into an immediate rematch six months later in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua won that fight by wide unanimous decision.
