Joshua Reveals New Mindset Ahead of Fury Showdown

Anthony Joshua says his difficult encounter with Kristian Prenga earlier this year changed his approach to boxing and has convinced him to go for an early knockout when he faces Tyson Fury in Cardiff on December 11.

The two British heavyweight stars are set to meet at the Principality Stadium in what is expected to be one of the biggest boxing events of the year.

The highly anticipated bout will be streamed on Netflix as part of a Ring event and represents the culmination of a rivalry that has lasted for more than a decade.

However, the fight came close to collapsing several times during negotiations.

Joshua enters the contest with a professional record of 30 wins and four defeats, including 27 victories by knockout.

His most recent fight against Prenga on July 25 in Saudi Arabia provided a major scare after he was knocked down twice in the opening round.

Prenga first dropped Joshua with a right uppercut within the opening 20 seconds before sending him to the canvas again late in the round. Joshua recovered quickly, however, and stopped his opponent in the second round with a powerful combination finished by a right hand.

The victory came in Joshua’s first fight since surviving a fatal car accident in December.

Fury, meanwhile, boasts a record of 36 wins, two defeats and one draw, with 25 of his victories coming by knockout. He also secured a stoppage victory over Mariusz Wach in Thailand the night before Joshua’s bout with Prenga.

Speaking to The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, Joshua explained that the Prenga fight forced him to rethink his approach to heavyweight boxing.

“The Prenga fight woke me up. It made me realise my motto that boxing is not a sport. Boxing is a fight; never lose sight of that,” Joshua said.

According to the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, the experience taught him that strategy alone is not enough when facing a dangerous opponent.

“Strategy is cool, but let me tell you something. At that moment, you have to be ready for anything. And with what happened to me when I fought Prenga, it just switched me on to realise, if I can do what I do in round two in round one, I could have done it way earlier,” he explained.

Joshua admitted that he had initially planned to take his time and gradually wear Prenga down.

However, he now believes that approach could be dangerous in heavyweight boxing, where one punch can change the outcome of a fight.

“I was watching a lot of Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson, and I was really like, you have got to practise your defence. But in heavyweight boxing, your best defence is your offence,” Joshua said.

“I cannot go in there thinking I am going to break this fighter down over the course of the rounds. I am going to take you out in round one if I can.”

Joshua’s comments suggest that he intends to take the fight to Fury from the opening bell rather than allowing the former WBC champion time to settle into his rhythm.

However, replicating the early success Prenga had against Joshua could prove difficult against Fury, who possesses significantly greater experience and has shown an ability to recover from difficult moments during his career.

The Joshua-Fury showdown will be contested for the vacant WBA “super” heavyweight title, adding another major prize to an already highly anticipated encounter between two of Britain’s biggest boxing stars.

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