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Anthony Joshua exclusive: 'Wladimir Klitschko's a great - but my job is to make beating him look easy’

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Getty Images

I have been answering questions about this fight from before I even made my debut as a professional. When I turned pro in 2014, I was building and learning, trying to grow my career in the right way but, even then, people were asking, “When will you fight Tyson Fury?” or “When will you fight Wladimir Klitschko?”

Back then, I asked for time to learn — and timing is everything in boxing, in and out of the ring. Now, the time is right. It’s my time.

I’m not downplaying the magnitude of the occasion — it’s an honour and a pleasure to be involved in a global fight like this — but I have to see it as nothing new to me. It’s just another fight that has to be taken round by round.

Strip away the name and the attention that comes with it, it’s the same ring, the same rules, the same objective.

I always try to remove an opponent’s history and accomplishments and just look at him as another human being and then focus on beating him. I just don’t care who it is.

I needed someone who could potentially challenge me. I say potentially because you never know until you get in there.

The job is to make a fight look easy, so is this the big challenge everyone has been wanting to see me in? We’ll see on the night. That’s why we’re here.

I don’t think he will find a weakness in me. He says he’s obsessed with winning but that’s because of his loss.

Joshua vs Klitschko: Tale of the tape

When I fought Dillian Whyte, even though I won, I took it as a loss because I was really disappointed with my performance.

After that day I told myself that I would go out and dominate. I won’t even take a punch. So, for Wladimir, losing might have flicked a switch to make his desire burn even greater and make him more determined to win — and that’s the Wladimir I want to face.

I’m not shying away from it and I have listened to what he has said about being better than ever and I’m happy because I need this level of competition to show the world that my potential is real.

I am going for the knockout — it’s what I do. I haven’t lost as a pro, so I don’t know what he is feeling. All I can talk about is what I do. You either crumble or rise to the occasion.

Wladimir is harder to hit than my other opponents, a completely different style and I’m very aware of that.

At the end of the day you have styles; orthodox or southpaw, front foot or back foot — I know potentially what is coming and there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

I’m trying to make the fight as simple as possible because when it’s something you are passionate about, you do it with ease — and that’s my job, to make this look easy, make them look like novices.

When you watch fights at ringside and you are shouting, “Throw the jab, he’s open to the right hand”, it’s easy from outside the ring. Similarly, it’s easy to say what you are going to do before a fight.

Showing it in the ring is so much harder. You can visualise it, you can condition yourself to do it in the months in training camp but then you have to get in there and do it and that’s a whole different story, especially at the elite level.

I am facing one of the great heavyweights. He’s the real deal. He’s proved it, lived it, walked it, owns the T-shirt. I watched him for years and, when I win, he’ll congratulate me.

Joshua vs Klitschko is exclusively live this Saturday on Sky Sports Box Office. To book visit skysports.com/joshua