British-Nigerian boxer Anthony Joshua has vowed not to repeat Deontay Wilder’s mistakes against Tyson Fury, insisting he will remain composed and avoid making emotional decisions when he faces Fury on December 11.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion believes staying calm will be vital in their bout at the sold-out Principality Stadium in Cardiff, which will be broadcast live worldwide on Netflix.
Fury defeated Wilder twice and drew once with the American during their three-fight rivalry.
Speaking to The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, Joshua said Wilder’s determination to finish Fury after hurting him often left him exhausted, allowing the Briton to recover and regain control.
“Wilder took those fights very personally, and that could be quite exhausting, especially when you hurt someone and try to finish them,” Joshua said.
“You lose a lot of energy, and then Tyson comes back. Wilder could have gotten the job done if he was a bit more calm, cool and collected. He could have learned from that. Wilder tried to take him out of there, while Fury just managed to weather the storm and come back.”
Joshua insisted that frustration or the desire to secure an early knockout would not influence his approach to the fight.
“I do not believe that would be me. I am going to keep a calm head,” he added.
Joshua also has the opportunity to achieve a significant milestone. Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, has said the World Boxing Association super heavyweight belt will be contested in Cardiff.
Victory would make Joshua a three-time world heavyweight champion, joining Muhammad Ali, Michael Moorer, Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko, who have each won the title three times. Evander Holyfield claimed it four times.
The belt became vacant after Oleksandr Usyk relinquished it. Murat Gassiev, the association’s leading contender, had been expected to move up, but the anticipated Fury-Joshua clash appears to have taken precedence. Both fighters previously lost their world titles to Usyk.
Warren, who is also promoting this weekend’s rematch between Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley for the World Boxing Organisation title, said the winners could feature in unification bouts in 2027.
“We have got three of the four heavyweight champions on our roster, and we are going to make unification fights next year,” he said.
Joshua enters the contest with a professional record of 30 wins, four defeats and 27 knockouts. Fury has recorded 36 wins, two defeats and one draw, with 25 knockouts.