Anthony Joshua concedes he has thought about losing as he prepares to put his world heavyweight titles on the line against Alexander Povetkin this weekend.
The WBA, WBO and IBF champion faces Povetkin at Wembley Stadium on Saturday (Sept. 22), putting his perfect 21-0 record to the test against a dangerous opponent whose only professional defeat from 35 bouts came against Wladimir Klitschko five years ago.
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Joshua's most recent win, against Joseph Parker in March, was the first of his professional career to go the distance and the former Olympic gold medalist admits a fear of failure does creep into his psyche before a fight.
Training files #AJBXNG pic.twitter.com/IN348O4RbM
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) September 16, 2018
"The keys to victory for me in this fight — it's hard because you know what it's like when you fight, it's a lot of pressure," Joshua told Sky Sports. "Ultimately, as much as we think about winning, I think about losing. I can't afford to lose. This fight, the key to victory with me is relaxation, belief, having your energy reserves intact. I'm just trying to say I need to be a bit more effective and sharp with my punches in this fight."
He added: "It's a difficult fight when you are fighting someone like Povetkin because it's like a game of chess. Violent chess, because they are waiting for you to make a move, so they can counter you. It's the person taking punches that loses energy. It isn't the one dishing out the punches so much, it's the one who keeps on taking the impact."