ANTHONY JOSHUA has had enough of being asked about his slim figure and is ready to bulldoze any doubters.
Andy Ruiz Jr shocked AJ in June 2019, and critics pointed fingers at his hulking muscles. They claimed he was more interested in pumping iron than throwing punches.
Anthony Joshua is fed up with questions about his body for Saturday's showdown against Oleksandr Usyk
Six months later, having lost all his punch power and had dominated the Mexican in 12 rounds of cautious fighting, he was apparently now slimmer.
His physique is being refocused ahead of Saturday's WBA/WBO and IBF defense against dangerous southpaw Oleksandr Uzyk (34).
However, anyone who is too concerned about his chest, biceps, or inner thigh size are in for some sarcasm.
Joshua, 31 years old, snapped: "I am going to come in light. Do not run around the ring and try to avoid being hit.
"I'll ride my bike all night. I don't want 140 beats per minute so I'm very thin.
The champ will bounce into the ring at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, around 17:35.
He added, in a serious tone: "Listen, my bones are as solid as rocks. I'm strong and I can handle the weight. My weight is not something I really care about. It's training. It's just training.
BETTING SPECIAL - GET JOSHUA TO WIN IN ROUNDS 1-6 AT 60/1 OR ANYTIME AT 25/1"These are very different opponents, and I have learned a lot about training for them. These guys can go for longer rounds.
It's different when you knock out men in three to four rounds. "I studied boxing, and I know what works for me. Weight is not a priority."
At London 2012, Usyk won Olympic gold in heavyweight at the same time that AJ won the super-heavy division. The undisputed champion in the 14st 4lb cruiserweight category, Usyk now hopes to achieve immortality by moving up significantly in class
AJ, however, is unable to secure unification fights with Deontay wilder and Tyson Fury. He sees himself as another boxer trying to increase his profile and bank account with a fight against a golden goose.
He stated, "I just fight those guys, no problem. They also get a lot from it. They are a part of our world, and they get a lot out of everything we have tried to build.
"It's frustrating because all these opponents arrive for a week or so, speak a good match, get a large social media following, and then vanish.
"With boxing we are just in a new place now. What can I do to change this except to continue fighting?
"That's all that I can do, play my role in this business."
Joshua and Usyk: All information about the TV, stream, and undercard ahead of Saturday's heavyweight fight
Joshua was a show of fireworks when he last boxed a Ukrainian.
He had to overcome a massive scare and climb off the ground against Wladimir Klitschko in Wembley 2017 before he could stop the ring legend.
The crazy competitor in AJ fancies another scream for the ages.
He said, "For me, it was just fun, a good fight. Is that enough? Perhaps. Let's wait and see if Usyk is willing to take that route.
"Let's find out if he can make me go through some adversity, and if he can make me go through some adversity.
"As you can see with the Ruiz fight I kept going up, even though it was hard.
"I will always stand up and fight. You'll always find entertainment in my nights.
Klitschko (now 45) was AJ's mentor before the spectacular clash and has remained one.
Joshua was asked by Joshua how Klitschko had been regarding him fighting a fellow Ukrainian. He replied: "He's actually very quiet during this build-up.
"I spoke with him at the beginning and he said, "I'm not taking sides".
He said, "Good luck" -- that was all he said. He said that's all I have heard.
Fight fans have every right to be afraid that Joshua will not face Fury (33) or Wilder (35) but they can still hope that he will stay around for the next generation.
When asked about retirement, he replied: "You have 36-40 years. What about retirement? How many more years can you live beyond that?
"Do you go all out to 40? Floyd Mayweather, Alexander Povetkin and Klitschko were there. Manny Pacquiao took it a step further.
"Forty seems to be the age when they feel like, "OK, you've done something a long while." So, 36-40 is when I make decisions.
"I'm 32 in Oct so I still have some good years to go."
