The unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is just days away from his return to the ring. The last time we saw the Brit inside the ropes was on December 7 2019 when he regained his belts after a UD victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia.
This Saturday night Joshua is set to face Bulgaria’s best heavyweight Kubrat Pulev, the IBF mandatory challenger. Both fighters haven’t fought in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and restrictions, as the fight had to happen way earlier.
This is also the longest span of time in which Joshua has been out of the ring and according to the man himself, that might be trouble for him.
“That’s what makes this fight so interesting,” he said. “I might go in there, I can tell you that I’m a million dollars, I feel good, I’ve been knocking everyone out in sparring, I’m the one that’s coming up now and I’m going to be the undisputed champ.
“And then I go in there on Saturday night and I get my head punched in because I’ve got ring rust. So, who knows? But I feel good, I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t boxed in such a long time but that’s why in lockdown I’ve done a lot of training, mental training.”
Joshua has prepared for getting hit with rounds in sparring in which he hasn’t thrown a single punch, instead of allowing his opponent to “punch me up because I need to get tough, I need to get that thick skin”.
