Anthony Joshua must go ‘toe to toe’ with Oleksandr Usyk in rematch as Joe Joyce recalls intense sparring with Brit rival
ANTHONY JOSHUA will have to go on the "offensive" against Oleksandr Usyk if he's to have any hope of winning their high-stakes rematch.
The Watford warrior will bid to become a three-time heavyweight champion in his make-or-break Saudi showdown with the undefeated Ukranian on Saturday week.
A tentative AJ was outboxed by the slick southpaw in their Tottenham tussle last September, a scenario Brit rival Joe Joyce can foresee playing out again if he doesn't put his foot on the gas.
He told "Unless Joshua can really change his style and also become an offensive fighter again.
"When we were on the GB squad I always used to like going to toe to toe with him, that used to be fun.
"But then all of a sudden he was kind of bit more [on the] back foot.
READ MORE IN SPORT
"[Against Usyk] he seemed very tidy in his technique and his footwork and everything. But he was trying to outbox Usyk.
"Maybe it was Usyk that was keeping him away. But he seemed very clinical.
"He could have roughed him up a bit more inside and took a few chances with pot shots."
Joyce reckons his former sparring partner needs to implement aspects of his old aggressive style to win the desert dust-up.
SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY
🥊 AJ vs Usyk 2 date, live stream and TV channel for blockbuster rematch
He recalled: "There was a stage especially early where we were going toe to toe all the time
But Joyce believes it'll take more than brute force for AJ to wrestle the titles back from the undefeated Usyk.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More on The Sun
He said: "[Usyk] already knew what to do in the first fight, he went straight to work. So this fight he's already beaten him.
"So he knows exactly what to do again. He's probably three, four moves ahead of him. "So it's a tough one."