ANTHONY JOSHUA admits he no longer wades into the fire as he’s not the “bruiser” he once was.
Before being dropped in his 2017 classic with Wladimir Klitschko, the former two-time heavyweight champion was a bloodhound of a finisher.
But he’s adopted a more conservative approach as of late, opting to box on the outside and stay out of the kitchen for too long.
And that change of tact – which was on show in his return to the win column against Jermaine Franklin -has come from the Watford warrior making the conscious decision to use brain over brawn.
He told SkySports: “When you look at someone’s make-up, you have to look at what their attributes are.
“I’m quite tall, I’ve got a long range but I’m not going to be a bruiser.
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“If you look at my character, I’m not the most aggressive, outwardly type of person.
“I’m not a fighter – I’m more of a boxer, there’s a thought process, there’s a method behind the madness.
“I’ve always tried to develop my boxing IQ but over 12 rounds there are times where you have to fight and I want to become a box fighter.
“It’s why that fight with Jermaine Franklin – I realised I was in with someone who’s a counter-puncher.
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“You throw two, they try to hit you with three – so I changed my game plan, I stuck behind my jab, used my attributes and got the win.”
Joshua, 33, insists his change in approach will benefit him in the long run and when the going gets tough.
He continued: “I can build on that because there will be a day where just being a fighter may not work against a certain opponent.
“The man who has a plan A, B and C in his locker because he can use his jab, he can move around, he knows how to defend.
“I think he’ll have more of a chance to be victorious on a tough night.
“I’m glad I got those rounds in the bank and I can move forward on my quest to become a full and well-rounded fighter.”
AJ was set to return to action in July but has since teased a December dust-up.
And a long-overdue grudge match with former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is in the works for AJ.
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He recently told a fan: “That’s what’s happening [the Wilder Fight].
“It’s public news, we’re getting it down, we’re throwing it down in December.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
