Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is planning to go for a knockout victory when he meets Oleksandr Usyk in their anticipated rematch.
Last September at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Usyk outboxed Joshua over twelve rounds to capture the IBF, IBO, WBA, WBO heavyweight titles.
Joshua exercised an immediate rematch clause, with the second fight targeted for the month of July.
The British star admits that he executed the wrong strategy in the first encounter. He tried to box with the much better boxer and failed at that attempt.
In the second encounter, Joshua plans to abolish any plan to box his way to a decision win - and strictly wants to come in there to end Usyk's reign with a knockout victory inside the distance.
“The fight with Usyk, in my mind, was going for 12 rounds. That was my game plan because I thought I could compete with him as a boxer. And I think he won two more rounds than I did. That's how he became champion," Joshua said to The Sun.
“So the goal now is to go back to basics and go for the knockout. I always feel, when I'm sparring or fighting people, I actually see their spirit get dampened. Honestly, when you're looking at this person directly in their eyes and watching their body, you can read the body and punch after punch this person is slowly fading.
“Now when you're boxing, the art of boxing is to hit and not get hit. So you're kind of boxing to stay away. That's not really my style. My style is to be up close and personal and make it difficult for the person. So that's the game plan.”