ANTHONY JOSHUA will take inspiration from Floyd Mayweather to ensure he retains his composure when he fights to unify the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles on Saturday against Joseph Parker.
A 78,000-strong crowd is expected at Cardiffโs Principality Stadium where Joshua attempts to become the first to defeat WBO champion Parker in his first fight since those present at his victory over Carlos Takam booed through dissatisfaction at its conclusion.
The challenger that night for the 28-year-oldโs WBA and IBF titles was rescued in the 10th round by the referee, before Joshua could secure a convincing knockout, and after he had become angered by Takamโs headbutts.
Everything that happens now will have its meaning in the future! Let’s take a look back to 2017 #TBT https://t.co/ooyjHRb26q pic.twitter.com/WZ4oYAQQAU
โ Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) March 29, 2018
Victory over Takam followed that over Wladimir Klitschko, when Joshua risked defeat in pursuit of an early knockout, but despite external pressure to deliver the finish many expect this weekend, Joshua is determined to remain disciplined.
Given Mayweather preceded Joshua as the worldโs leading fighter during a run in which he rarely won inside the distance, the Briton told Press Association Sport: โYou canโt always be trying to please people, because youโre never going to win.
โMayweather, as great as he is, goes 12 rounds the majority of the time, and everyone claps and says how great the performance was, but because I donโt knock my opponent out in two rounds itโs a bad performance. Everyoneโs got opinions.
โMy job was to control Takam, move him around the ring where I wanted him, and secure the win so I could move forward to 2018, and that was a mature performance.
The next time @anthonyfjoshua gloves upโฆ Itโs on #JoshuaParker #RoadToUndisputed pic.twitter.com/b2scPtiJbD
โ Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 28, 2018
โI have to do the job for myself. Itโs about performance, not just about going in there, looking for him and going โBoshโ and hoping he flies out of the ring. My job was to perform, control the fight. He didnโt give me any problems apart from the headbutt, and people are looking past the boxing IQ.
โIf you donโt knock an opponent out people are so interested in saying โHe canโt punch, why didnโt he knock him out?โ. Rather than saying โDid you see that left hook he defended, and came back? Did you see that uppercut?โ People arenโt interested in boxing IQ anymore. Thatโs why I study the game, because I respect that side of it.โ
It was also widely felt that in last yearโs dramatic victory over Klitschko, secured despite a relative lack of experience and which established his status as the worldโs leading heavyweight, he performed like a fighter in his prime.
Anthony Joshua in good form in Cardiff. pic.twitter.com/c5O7MG9GEi
โ Andrew Baldock (@balders2) March 28, 2018
He has instead warned the 26-year-old Parker โ who represents a more dangerous opponent than his status as a significant underdog suggests โ that he expects to only begin to enter his prime, and also that he therefore expects to win between rounds seven and nine.
โYouโre going to see me start priming, but Iโm not in my prime yet,โ he added. โWhen you see someone in your prime is when they stay at the top for four or five years, when you see someone getting to their prime, thatโs what youโll start seeing now.
โItโs him being humble, and not trying to be too over-confident (when he says he is yet to decide how to win).
โIn my head I have to prepare for a 12-round fight, but if weโre talking about where itโll end, Iโm hoping to go somewhere between seven and nine.โ