Tony Bellew believes the fear factor should propel Anthony Joshua to victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in their hoped-for heavyweight rematch later this year as he will know his career is on the line.
Joshua suffered one of boxing's greatest upsets in losing his WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO belts to Ruiz at New York's Madison Square Garden on June 1.
The return fight is being slated for late November or early December, with a venue yet to be determined, notably as Ruiz is adamant he will not fight Joshua in the UK.
Assessing the rematch, former WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew told PA: "I don't think AJ underestimated Ruiz in that first fight in any way shape or form. I know for a fact he trained very hard, he had a very good camp.
"What everybody misses is that AJ went into that fight with no fear factor. He thought 'Andy Ruiz is a good fighter but he's not a man that can hurt me.' He misjudged that.
"When that happens to you, you can't change that. I've gone into fights thinking someone couldn't hurt me, and when I was hurt, you don't recover. It is unbelievable what happens to you.
"That's what happened to AJ. He went in, dropped Ruiz in the third round, went in for the kill far too eager, far too green, with no regard to his defence, got tagged and he never recovered. The rematch will be very different. For the first time, he will go into a fight knowing his career is on the line, and that if he loses again it will be over."
Bellew is expecting Joshua to box smart, drawing on the experience of his points victory over Joseph Parker in March 2018 when he added the WBO crown.
Bellew added: "I think he'll approach it with the attitude and tactics in which he approached that Parker fight - with caution, using his jab, height and reach, and he'll be sharp. There will be no lazy jabs, no giving opportunities, and he will give Ruiz's power the respect it deserves.
"From an appearance perspective, the guy (Ruiz) looks like Johnny Vegas, but from a fighting perspective, he fights like Evander Holyfield - he is quick, relaxed, and he won't tire because he is so relaxed."