ANTHONY JOSHUA was urged to shed his hulking body if he hopes to win his crunch rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
In a high-stakes Saudi showdown, the Watford warrior will attempt to reclaim the unified Heavyweight titles from the smooth southpaw.
Anthony Joshua will face Oleksandr Usyk again in Saudi Arabia in August
Joshua was puffing his lungs in the final stages of his Tottenham tussle last September with the Ukrainian
AJ was urged to trim for the Saudi showdown against the slick southpaw
Andre Ward, a former light-heavyweight king, has urged AJ not to keep any of his muscle.
Joshua, 32, was tired in the last stages of his narrow points defeat to the undefeated Ukrainian at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last September and was nearly stopped in the final round.
Andre Ward, a former world champion at two-weight, believes that the bulging Brit should lose some of his bulk to prevent him from puffing in the desert dust-up.
He stated, "Man, I've been trying for Anthony Joshua for six or seven years – get the mass off.
"Then, you will feel faster, you will want to throw more punches, and you won’t hit that wall halfway through the fight where your blood starts to fill up in your muscles and it is impossible for you get the shots off."
Joshua dramatically trimmed his weight for the 2019 rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. He became a two time heavyweight champion with a boxing masterclass.
The Brit, who has teamed up alongside American coach Robert Garcia, has not shown any signs of losing weight for Saudi slugfest.
Ward stated that he felt like Anthony Joshua was always a moving target. He is psychologically at the right place.
"Stylistically, where is he? Are they putting on more or taking off muscle?
PLAY DREAM TEAM TODAY FOR FREE WITH PS100k IN PRICE MONEY"All these variables sorta answer that question, but we don't know the answer."
Victory over Usyk will make AJ a three-time heavyweight champion. However, AJ doesn't intend to keep the belts high for too long after the fight.
JD Sports interviewed him: "I don't feel like I am being viewed as a dominant heavyweight in this division."
"This big Anthony Joshua wins, becomes three times, I'm gonna dash these belts.
"Because I'm a person, you have to learn to respect me." That's it.
"I am tired and don't want to get respected for the belts that I have.
"I want to be respected because you see the man I see."
