Anthony Joshua has been told to shake up his attitude towards Oleksandr Usyk and stop making his rival feel comfortable.
Joshua is aiming to regain his unified crown on August 20 in Saudi Arabia, where he will take to the ring against Usyk for the second time. The British star was heavily criticised for his tactical approach and attitude to the first fight, which has seen him alter a number of factors, including the appointment of new coach Robert Garcia.
The pair have come face-to-face twice during separate press events, where despite sharing intense stare-downs, Joshua and Usyk were respectful towards each other during their brief exchanges. Former cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson believes Joshua needs to make his opponent feel uneasy, with Usyk tending to box at the peak of his powers when he feels comfortable.
“What I have taken from it was that I was uncomfortable with the familiarity with AJ and Usyk," Nelson told Boxing Social. “If I’m honest with you, I was uncomfortable with how comfortable AJ let Usyk feel. At this stage in boxing, a lot of fights are won well and truly before you go in the ring. These two are going to fight and when Usyk’s comfortable, he boxes to the best of his ability.
“I looked and I thought ‘no man – don’t let that man get comfortable around you, make him feel uncomfortable in your presence’. Make him feel uneasy – you know that, to me, that is the right attitude to have. Usyk’s smiling and they’re happy taking selfies together. I’m like, ‘don’t do that man, you know this is business, be his friend afterwards’. The fight’s already started, you know, and you need to, excuse my french, cut that s*** out”
Joshua has shown respect to Usyk on several occasions in the build-up to the fight, including a classy exchange telling the Ukrainian to keep his chin up after recent events in his homeland. Usyk has been very keen to pay tribute to his friends and family back home who continue to support him in his pursuit of glory despite fighting against Russian invasion.
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The British star has been working with coach Angel Fernandez and experienced trainer Garcia to conjure up a plan for revenge this summer. Victory could see him challenge long-term rival Tyson Fury for the undisputed crown later this year. However, new addition Garcia believes Joshua could struggle with the mental aspects of the rematch and has vowed to work hard to take away his biggest disadvantage.
“When you see a fighter there are four or five different qualities that you need to be a champion and a fighter can be a champion if he only has two of them," Garcia told Mirror Fighting. " After the last fight, that defeat may have affected his mindset and may have made him not believe in himself. That is the one thing we are needing to work on most."
