The final press conference is in the books.
Anthony Joshua came face to face with upcoming opponent Carlos Takam on Thursday afternoon and, as the pair put the finishing touches to their preparation for Saturday’s blockbuster in Cardiff, the size advantage which will be enjoyed by ‘AJ’ became unavoidably clear.
Joshua towered over Takam, who has stepped in on just 12 days’ notice for the biggest opportunity of his career, but there was no heated exchange or shoving match to ramp up the public interest in the pay-per-view.
A dignified handshake brought a close to the staredown and while there is mutual respect between the two heavyweights who will do battle in the centre of the Principality Stadium this weekend, that’s not to say that they don’t mean business.
FACE OFF | World Heavyweight Champ @anthonyfjoshua vs mandatory challenger Carlos Takam this Saturday night! 💥 #JoshuaTakam pic.twitter.com/IW3LBjkt5r
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 26, 2017
Joshua, who had been readying himself for an entirely different task in the form of mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev as recently as last week, has admitted that he expects a hungry Takam with nothing to lose, which will translate to an entertaining fight for the 78,000 fans in attendance.
“I’ve fought a lot of people… and I think our styles will create a lot of good fight work,” Joshua said.
“The fans are always going to be the winners in this division now because hungry guys are coming. He (Takam) wants to perform in the ring and it’s the same with me.
“I always say, the belt isn’t always representation of me… the belts get taken out of the ring after, I can’t fight with them on my shoulder.
“I’ve got a challenge in my mind, I keep my feet on the ground. I’m still hungry.”
