Anthony Joshua might possess one of the more imposing physiques in modern boxing but even he had to tip his hat to opponent Carlos Takam on Friday.
Carlos Takam only received the call to fight ‘AJ’ last week but the Cameroon-born heavyweight was obviously already in tremendous shape.
Takam had been preparing for a fight in Monaco next weekend when Joshua’s camp reached out and asked him to stand in for the injured Kubrat Pulev this Saturday in Cardiff.
Promoter Eddie Hearn had previously told Takam that he would be the first choice should Pulev withdraw and, once the Bulgarian pulled out, Takam didn’t hesitate to agree to the biggest opportunity of his career.
Takam weighed in at 16st 11.5lbs during Friday’s weigh-in ceremony, significantly lighter than Joshua’s career heaviest weight of 18st 2lbs.
And while the London 2012 gold medallist was in typically terrific condition, Joshua took the opportunity to offer some much-deserved props to the physique of his 20th professional opponent.
“I was impressed,” Joshua admitted when asked about Takam’s appearance on the scales.
“How wary do I have to be of him? I say the same thing before every fight but the outcome remains the same. I’m not going to come out here and say that ‘I’m going to knock him out, I’m going to do this, I’m going to smash him up.’ But that’s what I have to do.
“He looks in great shape so I just know that it takes time. When someone’s fit, you can keep on hitting them and they just don’t go anywhere because of their level of conditioning.
“Even though he was called in on 12 days notice, he was preparing for a fight on November 4 so he was already in condition.
“Plus he looks like someone who trains all year round anyway. He doesn’t look like he takes his foot off the gas.
“I just know that he’s going to start really fast and, if he doesn’t, I’m going to have to deal with someone who starts a bit slower.
“I can tell you a million things about what I think he’s going to do but only he knows. And me and my team and my corner have to find a way to operate and break him down.”
