Anthony Joshua says new opponent Carlos Takam is ‘tougher’ than Kubrat Pulev
Unified heavyweight world champion reckons Frenchman will pose a different threat to IBF mandatory challenger
ANTHONY JOSHUA fears replacement opponent Carlos Takam is "tougher" than Kubrat Pulev.
The Frenchman, 36, replaced Pulev after a shoulder injury forced the mandatory IBF challenger to pull out.
Joshua, who puts his IBF and WBA crowns on the line in Cardiff on October 28, said: "I think he is tougher.
"He can take more. But I don’t think he’s smarter for that reason.
"You know where I’m coming from? So it’s what do we call tougher? Is it the smarter fighter that’s gonna make me think more? Or is it the guy who’s gonna make me work? That’s what’s gonna be interesting."
Joshua, 28, also warned Takam that he is risking an early retirement with his brazen style of boxing.
He said: "To have his kind of style, not many people have long careers.
"But he’s got this style like he just eats up a little bit of ground, you know, a little bit of ground each round.
"So you can be out here boxing, bam, jab, right hand to the head, left hook, right hook, you’re looking good. And all of a sudden you realise that everything you were doing wasn’t working because this person is still coming, still coming.
"So I think around rounds six, seven, eight, he starts applying pressure because he’s got that kind of, ‘I’m gonna absorb everything you do and then measure everything you do. And then I’m gonna give you what I’m capable of doing.' Which is always a dangerous style.
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“I can talk a million things I understand about Takam, but all in all, what goes down in the history books is if I win or lose, right?
"So I’ve just got to do whatever I’ve got to do to get this win, because it’s really important for me and the state of boxing because it sets up several fights in the future."
