ANTHONY JOSHUA believes he has the game plan ready to beat Deontay Wilder.
AJ, 33, secured his 26th professional win with a seventh-round knockout of Robert Helenius on Saturday night.
Joshua failed to enthral the O2 Arena crowd – who booed him during the contest – and looked largely unconvincing for most of the fight.
He did land a big right hand which ultimately ended the contest against the veteran Finland fighter.
And now the former heavyweight world champion is eyeing a showdown with fellow fallen star Wilder for a possible January date in Saudi Arabia.
Like AJ, the Bronze Bomber is rebuilding his career after squandering his belt in the incredible trilogy against Tyson Fury.
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But Joshua – who has three defeats on his record – is confident he has what it takes to beat the heavy-hitting Wilder, who possesses one of the most powerful punches in boxing history.
AJ said about his tactics should he step into the ring with the American: “This is a game of chess.
“I’m gonna take away Wilder’s best attributes.
“I’m not gonna stand there with my chin in the air and say, ‘Hit me.’
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“I’m gonna nullify him. It will be very challenging for him for sure.”
Joshua celebrated his laboured victory over late replacement Helenius with a crude gesture inside the ring before jumping out to take a sip of Conor McGregor’s pint.
And then he took a swipe at the supporters inside the O2 who jeered him – but insisted it did not impact his performance.
The Watford man said: “Not necessarily, I think they don’t understand it is competitive boxing.
“I was watching certain fights tonight and they didn’t look as exciting as I thought they would.
“Were they booing me or Helenius? That is the question, who were they booing?”
The reporter then suggested that fans wanted a quicker knockout.
AJ hit back, saying with a shrug: “Have any of them ever boxed before?”
He was also quizzed on if he was happy with his display, responding: “That is for my coach [Derrick James], I don’t really rate my performances, whatever the coach thinks.
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“We can go back to the drawing board and I know there is a lot of things we can improve on.
“I felt better than I did in April [versus Jermaine Franklin] and that is the main thing.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
