British-Nigerian heavyweight, Anthony Joshua, has said he will bring much more than punching power when he faces Tyson Fury, insisting that he must rely on skill, fitness and patience to beat his fellow countryman.
The two rivals will settle their decade-long feud on December 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Joshua secured the fight in July, when he recovered from two knockdowns to stop Kristian Prenga in the second round.
The bout pits Joshua’s one-punch stopping power against Fury’s ring craft and his ability to control fights over the distance. Speaking on the Mr Verzace Podcast, Joshua described the two of them as “polar opposites”.
“He is definitely not got a bodybuilder’s physique; that is quite evident, and yeah, he does not possess one-punch power, so we are polar opposites, I would say,” he said.
Joshua said Fury would not be troubled by heavy hitters.
“I only trust myself, so how I see it is this: Tyson is used to dealing with punches. I do not think he has a problem dealing with heavy-handed fighters; neither do I. We are both experienced; we have both been around, but I am going to have to just bring more than a powerful punch to beat any man in the ring,” he said.
The 36-year-old, known for his knockout record, said he could not rely on one big shot to beat Fury.
“I am very educated, I am calculated in the ring, I use my legs, use my hands, I use my distance, my anticipation, punch selection, like I bring a lot more to the table than just a powerful punch,” he said.
“I do not think I could only bring power to the table and expect to knock out Tyson, because I know he is better than that. So I am going to just do what I do basically, put my punches in bunches and just break him down, just chip at the tree.”
Joshua said the finish could come at any point, but his priority was to be ready for the full distance.
“Listen, that could happen in the first one minute or the last one minute, but the main goal is to be fit and conditioned to do the full 12 rounds and get the victory,” he said.
Credit: punchng.com
