August 19,2022

Anthony Joshua has gained 4lbs ahead of his fight with Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday. The 32-year-old boxer took many by surprise when he stripped his top off to show his body standing next to Usyk.

Joshua was 240lbs – 17st 2lbs – when he faced the Ukrainian back in September. Now he weighs 244lbs which is 13lbs more than his upcoming rival

I’ll be honest, all of this stuff doesn’t matter, it’s just about the fight. Real talk,” Joshua said ahead of the fight.

“All of this stuff, weight, face-off, none of it matters to me. Just looking forward to the fight.

“I’m just ready for 12 rounds, 100 per cent ready for 12 rounds and anything short of that is a bonus

Last year, Joshua was beaten by Usyk over 12 rounds at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. After changing trainer and appointing Robert Garcia, he promised to smash the Ukrainian in the upcoming bout.

“I wanted to outbox my opponent, whether it was Usyk or anyone else, that was the mindset (in the first fight),” he told Sky Sports.

“I wanted to outbox my opponent and on Saturday I want to smash my opponent. That’s just the mindset now.

“I was amateur for three and a half years and I did a lot in that time and I asked myself how?

“It wasn’t down to the skill element, because I was outclassed in terms of skill and experience by a lot of my competitors on the world scene, but that aggression

That will was something that couldn’t be denied. Then as you get more experience you try to develop as a rounded athlete.

“But ultimately, you can’t take your eye off the factor of what got you to where you are which is, as you said, that aggressiveness