Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are promising KO wins ahead of their fight on December 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, to headline a Ring show on Netflix.
Joshua (30-4, 26 KOs) said he'll bring aggression from the first round against Fury (36-2-1, 25 KOs) and is ready to throw caution to the wind. Fury countered that he will do whatever he wants en route to a stoppage win for the vacant WBA "super" heavyweight title.
"It's about a battle of will," Joshua said in an interview with The Ring's Mike Coppinger.
"He does great things, he does bad things. There are things I'm going to work on in the gym, like I did with Kristian Prenga. But sometimes the night just unveils things that are unexpected, and I just have to dig deep to make it an exciting fight while it lasts."
Joshua is certainly aware that a massive surprise may be in store, for better or for worse.
In his last fight in July, Joshua survived two opening-round knockdowns to rally, rock and stop Kristian Prenga in what was originally positioned as a tune-up tilt after he survived a fatal car accident in December.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLCvh-gaQhk
"I don't believe that Fury is worried about fighting another puncher because he's definitely comfortable with being in the ring with punchers," Joshua said.
"But if I'm going to be completely honest, I don't believe just being a big puncher is what I bring to the table. I'm good at measuring distance. I feel I'm an excellent counterpuncher. I have a great heart, great anticipation and a great reading of the game.
"People can be distracted by the way I look, by the way my abs are chiseled, and my biceps are pumping, but if you look beyond that, you'll see someone who has a boxing brain and a level of IQ that has led me to become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world."
Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan
