Anthony Joshua has vowed to beat Jake Paul by “breaking him down spiritually and mentally” when they meet in Miami on Friday.
‘AJ’ takes on the YouTuber-turned-boxer over eight three-minute rounds, with the former world champion capped at 245 lbs, in what has been widely criticised for the gap in experience and accolades at the top of the sport.
Joshua has been lined up by Riyadh Season boss Turki Alalshikh for a showdown with British heavyweight rival Tyson Fury next year, but the 36-year-old maintains he is dialled in on the task at hand at the Kaseya Center.
“I think Jake is somebody I need to beat mentally, he's a mental person, this is my observation,” Joshua said.
“A lot of what Jake's preparation is about, it's the way he thinks, meditation, breath work, if I can break his soul, and I can break his mentality, I've broken Jake.
“I don't just look at this from a physical standpoint. I've got to take his soul in the ring.”
Paul then replied, defiantly insisting: "The only person that can do that is God."
But Joshua continued, underlining his desire to dominate to the extent that Paul could give up.
“I've seen in fights, when I can see somebody, their energy, their frequency, leaving their body, that's my goal with you,” Joshua added.
“You have that instinct, you can see it, when you're fighting, that small glimmer of somebody that's about to fade, you keep exploiting that, some people give up, some people get knocked out. It's not about dominating physically, I want to break him down spiritually and mentally.”
Joshua insists he will be “cool” with Paul after the fight and doesn’t “dislike” him.
“There’s room for us to do some good business,” Joshua said. “First and foremost I’m a fighter, but if I look at life after boxing, we can definitely make some break.
“He’ll be looking for the right and I’ll hit him with the left. It [whether it goes more than one round] is a great question, only God knows.”
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