ANTHONY JOSHUA has dubbed himself a ‘throwback fighter’ as he gears up for his showdown with Oleskandr Usyk.
The Watford warrior is set to defend his unified heavyweight titles against the former cruiserweight king on September 25 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Joshua’s training camp for his first outing of the year, which was initially meant to be against Tyson Fury, is well underway.
And the Olympic gold medallist has likened himself to the fighters of old – who were willing to face any opponent on short notice.
Alongside a snap of himself limbering up before a training session, Joshua wrote: ‘Throw back fighter.”
Joshua was left bitterly disappointed by the cancelation of his long-awaited Battle of Britain with Fury, so much so he launched an uncharacteristic scathing attack on The Gypsy King.
He tweeted: “@Tyson_Fury the world now sees you for the fraud you are. You’ve let boxing down!
“You lied to the fans and led them on. Used my name for clout not a fight.
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“Bring me any championship fighter who can handle their business correctly.”
After being challenged to a bare-knuckle fight by Fury – who was ordered to have a trilogy fight with Deontay Wilder – Joshua replied: “If there was an arbitration going on, why announce to the world we are fighting!
“The fight was signed! UNDISPUTED. Bare knuckle? You’re a good kid, don’t play with me Luke!
“I’ll slap your bald head & you’ll do nothing! Waste man.”
Joshua’s focus is now solely on his September showdown with the undefeated Usyk, who many believe will provide him with one of the sternest tests of his career.
But the 2012 Olympian believes The Cat won’t show him anything he’s not accustomed to.
When asked about Usyk’s skill set, Joshua said: “I fear none of them.
“He don’t bring nothing I ain’t seen before. Two hands, two legs, a brain and a bit of heart.
“He’s a good fighter, I’m challenging myself in training. So yeah, let’s get it on.”
He added: “I wanted to go like August but change of opponent, completely different style, the team said push it back a little bit, prepare properly.
“This is a fight I need to win because I was at the final destination on that road to undisputed but now we have a pit stop we have to make with Usyk.
“At the end of September is when I’ll be taking on the former undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
