ANTHONY JOSHUA packed on 4lbs in his effort to bully and KO Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Watford ace was 240lbs – 17st 2lbs – for his September loss to the 35-year-old Ukraine king in September.
And he stripped his top off – but left on his trousers and pants – to make 244lbs on Friday afternoon in Jeddah, before staring down his 13lbs lighter foe.
The under-pressure challenger said: “I’ll be honest, all of this stuff doesn’t matter, it’s just about the fight. Real talk.
“All of this stuff, weight, face-off, none of it matters to me. Just looking forward to the fight.”
Usyk – the former 14st 4lbs undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world – stayed bang-on his 221lbs – 15st 11lbs – mark from the first unanimous points win.
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Misleading photos of the WBA, IBF and WBO champ looking massive – and Amir Khan’s terrible maths following a visit to his Dubai gym – had some fans thinking Usyk had packed on as much as 2st.
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But he was just a quarter-of a-lb over his September weight – technically a career heaviest – and played it ice cool as always when asked if it was an intentional trick.
“Your expectations are not met every time,” he grinned.
Joshua added: “I’m just ready for 12 rounds, 100 per cent ready for 12 rounds and anything short of that is a bonus.”
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Joshua was beaten over 12 rounds last year at Tottenham’s stadium, surrendering the unified belts.
But he has now linked up with American boxing mastermind Robert Garcia, promising a seek-and-destroy approach.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
