Anthony Joshua has admitted that mind games on behalf of Tyson Fury played a huge role in his loss to Oleksandr Usyk in September.
Fury joked in the direction of Joshua: “You’ve got one guy who doesn’t have a great engine – that gasses out after three or four punches.
“He looks good, but looks can be deceiving.
“If it was about looks, I wouldn’t be heavyweight champion of the world, would I? Definitely not, I’d be a road sweeper.”
And Joshua attempted to outbox Usyk at Wembley, only to lose his heavyweight titles to the Ukrainian superstar in decisive fashion.
Joshua told Sky Sports: “Usyk came up from cruiserweight, he is a great fighter, a 12-round fighter, and I wanted to box with him for 12 rounds.
Joshua is looking to challenge the Ukrainian for his titles in a rematch, that is expected to be held in April 2022.
Eddie Hearn told iFL TV: “April is realistic for that fight and where it’s going to be.
“AJ is the type that fights twice a year, and sometimes we feel like it would be nice to fight three times a year.