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As Anthony Joshua limbers up for his rematch against Oleksandr Usyk, he holds high belief in his ability and shuts down suggestions of being an underdog.
In their first meeting last year, Joshua was considered very much the favorite due to his natural size advantage and pedigree in the heavyweight division. However, the Ukrainian turned and displayed an emphatic performance.
Ahead of the upcoming rematch, the Brit spoke to Sky Sports. The former two-time heavyweight world champion was asked if he was the underdog for the clash. 'AJ' replied by saying:
"Not me personally, nah. I'm on it, winners mindset, do you know what I mean? Always. I don't know what the bookies say, but me personally, nah, not at all."
The 32-year-old is certainly the underdog by the majority but the former champion holds his self-belief to bounce back with a win.
Watch AJ's interview with Sky Sports here:
Anthony Joshua - A rare underdog
For the majority of his career, Anthony Joshua has been the A-side who's stood as the favorite to win his fights. However, following a dominant performance from Oleksandr Usyk in the first meeting, Joshua is very much the underdog this time round.
This isn't the first time that the Brit has been doubted by many fans and experts. There was uncertainty over the former champion in his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019.
The Mexican was the first heavyweight to hand the former Olympian a blemish on his professional record. Many believed that their rematch would repeat similar events. However, Joshua portrayed a clinical display to reclaim his world championships.
The upcoming rematch against the skilled Ukrainian is a similar scenario for 'AJ', which may give him confidence going into the clash. Usyk, on the other hand, stands as a much more difficult champion than Ruiz did, based off of pedigree.
Overall, the Watford-born man has made some adjustments to his training team and approach for the rematch. He will be aiming to repeat the same events as when he last performed in Saudi Arabia.
Watch Joshua vs. Usyk 1 here:
