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Anthony Joshua has a plan. It will start with “hurting” Kristian Prenga on July 25. It will gather pace with victory over nemesis Tyson Fury later in the year. And it will be complete when the 36-year-old is undisputed heavyweight champion.
Joshua, 29-4 (26 KOs), takes on Prenga in Saudi Arabia and victory there, which is widely expected, would appear the easiest to achieve from the former champion’s three-point plan.
Albania’s Prenga, 20-1 (20 KOs), is not expected to be much of a threat to the accomplished Joshua as he returns to the ring for the first time since surviving a car crash in December that killed two of his best friends.
From tragedy comes newfound determination in Joshua. One that his promoter, Eddie Hearn, claims not to have seen since his long-time charge started out on in the sport.
Joshua’s ascent was rapid. Consecutive ABA championships led Joshua to Team GB, then to the Worlds, where he got silver just nine months after making the jump to international level, and on to gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
His progress at professional level also came quickly. By 2016 he was the IBF heavyweight beltholder and, the following year, he ended the career of Wladimir Klitschko in one of the division’s greatest fights.
By then, Joshua was a worldwide household name. He had sponsorship deals coming out of his ears. He started businesses. His attention, he now admits, was being dragged away from the sport.
“We’ve shut down all the businesses,” Joshua told Hearn, who played the role of interviewer during a video released by DAZN on Friday. “The number one performing business is boxing and that’s where I want to put all my energy and focus. I want to regain the championship and be the world heavyweight champion once again.
“I’m a normal lad giving 100 per cent while I can. I’m a fighter through and through and I believe in myself.”
Joshua has been training with Oleksandr Usyk since last year. The same Usyk who twice beat Joshua, ending the Briton’s time as a world champion. The always studious Joshua has been watching his conqueror carefully, listening to advice, taking everything on board. He’s identified three qualities that made the Ukrainian the best heavyweight of his era.
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“There are three elements that I’ve learned by being around Usyk,” Joshua said. “In sport, you have your physical and people can improve that, with cardio. You have your mental, which you can improve as well, psychologists, your own mind state… And one thing that separates you, which I’m seeing with Usyk, is your spiritual. When you’ve got those three things aligned, you’re a hard person to beat.
“Physical and mental, I’m very solid. If I can improve my spiritual, I’ll get to where I want to get to. I still want to become undisputed. I still have the ambition and hunger.
“I want it all. I’m looking at the bigger picture.”
Joshua has a lot to prove. And most of what he wants to prove is to himself. That will breed pressure, of sorts. It all starts with Prenga next month.
“I want to hurt Prenga, yes, definitely… Why I say I want to hurt him, that’s nothing to do with Prenga, it’s just me. I want to prove to myself that I’m a serious wrecking machine, that I have dynamite in both hands and I want to punch with bad intentions.
“Pressure? I put pressure on myself. I want to perform. I want to win. I want to fight Fury. I have an obligation to [Hearn], I have an obligation to my fans.
“I am a target. And I’ve got to work like I’m a target. I can’t just live off my past achievements. It’s all done… Work like you’re the hunter. Work like you’re the hunted.”
Beating Prenga seems a given. But it’s what follows, a battle with Fury that has been at least 10 years in the making, when Joshua will find out the most about himself.
“I’m confident,” he said. “But what it is, I’m not banking on Fury to be at his worst or best for me to win, I’m just confident in myself that I can beat Fury. With the work I’m doing, I know I will win. It doesn’t matter how good he looks, how many warm-up fights he has, I am confident in me turning up, being the man across the ring, and doing exactly what I know I’m going to do to him.”
