Anthony Joshua has confidently declared that he will become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world, as he targets a response against Oleksandr Usyk.
The British fighter suffered defeat in the pair's initial bout back in September, ceding his three belts to Usyk and seeing a potential heavyweight unification bout pushed further into the horizon.
Joshua 's upcoming rematch is the final hurdle before a likely unification contest with Tyson Fury, who is expected to face-off against the winner later this year.
While Usyk is backed by many to emerge victorious again, Joshua has vowed there will be a different outcome when they take to the ring for a second time.
“I’ve come up short twice, but the majority of times I have overcome many obstacles. Next fight I’m going to beat him (Usyk) and I’m going to take those belts from him," he told Stuff.
"And I’m going to reign again to become three-time heavyweight champion of the world - whether people like it or not."
Joshua has also detailed the changes he has been making in his team, including dropping the biggest hint yet that he's parted ways with long-term trainer Rob McCracken.
“As I only fight once or twice a year, I have to stay busy and active in the gyms. But because I took a loss in my last fight, there’s been a lot of reconstruction happening in my team.
"So I’ve approached training with more of a mental approach, looking at ways I can improve rather than just jumping back in the deep end from a physical point of view.
“I’m not happy about what happened previously because that’s a competitor’s mindset. You have to be angry at losing, it’s not acceptable. So now it’s about driving forward.
"One thing people know about me is that I bounce back and I don’t take losses. I fight the best consistently – that’s always been a part of my DNA.”
It has been claimed that Joshua could step aside in order to allow Fury to face Usyk in a unification fight. According to the Sun, Joshua would want around £15million for that to happen.
