Joshua Ready to ‘Step up’ against Klitschko

Anthony Joshua admits it is time for him to “step up” in his career as he prepares to face Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium.

Joshua is preparing to defend his IBF world heavyweight title against Klitschko (64-4 KO53) in front of 90,000 fans on April 29, with the vacant WBA strap also on the line.

The unbeaten Brit has blown away every opponent put before him and has never been taken beyond the seventh round so far in his career, but faces arguably his toughest test against the two-time world champion.

“When we’ve been training, we’ve always been training for fights like this. Even when I was fighting people who were not as talented or experienced as Klitschko, we were always training as if I was fighting better opponents,” Joshua told Sky Sports News HQ.

“Now, I’m here, let’s get it on. Everyone has to step up in their career and I am just doing mine now, whether it was against Klitschko or any of the other champions.

“It doesn’t matter if there are 90,000 people, 9,000 people or 900 people, as long as I win that’s the main thing and it is history making. Three and a bit years as a pro and I am making history, so I am happy about that side of things.”

Meanwhile, Klitschko believes Anthony Joshua needs “big muscles” to make himself confident and does not want any excuses when he topples the IBF champion at Wembley.

Joshua’s physical power has brought him 18 knockouts in his perfect professional career, but Klitschko compared him to a ‘CrossFit champion’ during a stinging analysis of the 27-year-old British fighter.

Klitschko said: “AJ has a lot of energy, he’s young, he wants to be explosive, he has these big muscles that bring him confidence and he just wants to demolish people right in front of him. That’s what it is, it gives him a lot of confidence, but did you hear about boxing being a sweet science?

“Every person would have got these big muscles. It gives you confidence and you really can smash if you hit the heavy bag, or the person in front of you. Boxing is sweet science. The vicious boxers were conquered.

“I have a lot of respect for Anthony and what he is doing, his commitment, his physical ability. He can box, he can lift weights, he can be strong, he can train.

“He can be a CrossFit champion actually, a CrossFit world champion. I think he has great capability of it. CrossFit became really popular and there are a lot of boxers doing it.

But CrossFit is not boxing.”