Anthony Joshua is desperate to showcase different skills in order to build his legacy and says it is unrealistic to believe he will blast his way past every opponent.
The unbeaten Briton has a reputation as a powerful knockout specialist with just three of his 19 professional opponents lasting beyond three rounds and none going the distance.
Joshua was preparing to face Kubrat Pulev for his first fight since his dramatic 11th-round stoppage of the great Wladimir Klitschko in April, but a shoulder injury saw the Bulgarian pull out this week and Carlos Takam step in to take the heavyweight bout on October 28 in Cardiff.
Takam is shorter and not as rangy as Pulev, but Joshua wants to prove that he is capable of adapting to different situations in the ring.
Joshua's explosive power and brutal knockouts have earned the heavyweight champion hordes of fans, but the Briton insists that style will not work against every opponent.
Joshua's late change of opponent was apparently a brief cause of panic for his usually laid back trainer Rob McCracken.
Promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom admits McCracken was not best pleased about the situation, but says his experience will prove crucial.
"Rob wasn't happy," Hearn said. "Rob said 'this is a complete disaster! We had prepared for a 6'4'' rangy fighter now we've got a 6'1'' little machine'.
"Rob has seen a lot, and this is where his experience comes in."
Next year, Hearn wants Joshua to fight at least three times with two of those fights being unifications.
The biggest fight for Joshua is a unification with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. (38-0, 37 KOs), who faces Bermane Stiverne on November 4.
But Hearn believes that fight could use a little more sizzle, which is why he wants Wilder to face Dillian Whyte and the winner gets Joshua. Whyte fights Robert Helenius for the WBC silver belt on the Joshua-Takam undercard.
"I think the Wilder fight is one for next summer. I’d like [Wilder] to fight Dillian Whyte. I mean I’ve talked to [Wilder's] guys again today - and the winner fights Josh. [WBO champion Joseph] Parker is a fight we could look at in February or March. But you know we’ve got a WBA mandatory, potentially... I don’t know," Hearn told BoxingScene.com's Declan Taylor.
"But I think the main aim is to fight three times next year, and I’d like two of those [fights] to be for additional belts. It doesn’t always work out like that, but the aim is to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world."
