Anthony Joshua has admitted that he had to ‘drop his ego’ when deciding to begin working with Oleksandr Usyk’s team.
Joshua announced in November that he had joined Team Usyk, training with them ahead of his win over Jake Paul.
And he has remained part of the team, now building up to his bout with Kristian Prenga on Saturday, live on talkSPORT.
AJ moved on from trainers Ben Davison and Lee Wylie at the time, opting to make a major change to his inner circle.
That, of course, came as a surprise to some, as Usyk was one of the British boxing superstar’s huge rivals during his career.
The former undisputed heavyweight king beat Joshua twice in 2021 and 2022, handing him his second and third career losses.
Now, just a few years later, he’s working with the very team that masterminded his defeats – but has that reignited him?
‘I dropped my ego’
Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT, when asked that particular question by Adam Smith, Joshua responded: “Isn’t it amazing?
“The guy that beat me here in Jeddah four years ago… I was saying I need to be better at 12 rounds, I need this and need that.
“Now their team are the ones helping me to get back to being the best version of myself. It’s just amazing how life can work.
“I dropped my ego, said, ‘Let’s go’. I want to be the best, so I surround myself with the best.”
Joshua then went on to say just how much has changed in his training whilst working with Team Usyk in recent months.
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“A lot,” he laughed. “There’s a lot of good work that happens in the gym, that’s one of the main things…
“I could go to the gym and do enough and still be successful in the ring. But the team are like, ‘No, no, no, no. Let’s get it out, let’s get more out’.
“It’s not just on fight night, it’s in the gym.”
Sending a message
Joshua is taking on Albanian heavyweight Prenga this Saturday in his all-important warm-up fight in preparation for Tyson Fury.
The two British titans are set to finally meet in a blockbuster later this year if both of them win their upcoming bouts – with Fury taking on Mariusz Wach on Friday in Thailand.
And AJ has revealed what kind of performance is going to be needed against Prenga to send a message to Fury.
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“It’s punches in bunches,” he exclusively told talkSPORT. “You put three or four together. You punch with bad intentions.
“And the smile is good, you enjoy your job. A fighter that enjoys what he does is a dangerous fighter, there’s no fear.
“I’ll go out there, have fun, stick my tongue out, smile, stay focused and understand that victory is the only way.”
Joshua vs Prenga: talkSPORT coverage
Joshua takes on Prenga on Saturday, July 25, at Jeddah Superdome in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
talkSPORT will have live commentary of the fight with John Rawling, Paul Smith, Spencer Oliver and Adam Catterall.
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