Anthony Joshua has received praise from a former opponent as he heads into the biggest fight of his life in less than two weeks. On August 20, Joshua will face Oleksandr Usyk for a second time after losing to the talented Ukranian in September last year. Joseph Parker, a fighter who will be watching intently, has labelled the Brit ‘dangerous.’
In 2018, Parker became the first fighter to take Joshua to the final bell, but he lost his WBO title in the process. With his own schedule occupied by the threat of Joe Joyce next month, Parker has his hands full. That hasn’t stopped the likeable new Zealander from sharing his thoughts on Joshua’s imminent clash with Usyk.
"He can always be dangerous," said Parker when speaking about ‘AJ’ to Sky Sports.
"He possesses the natural heavyweight ability to hurt people and to hurt other heavyweights. Let's see what his plan is coming into this fight and see where his head's at. You can be physically in great shape but mentally if you're not there it's a waste of time.
"He was a good champion, and he can be champion again. It's just that it's up to him now. It's up to him and his new team to make the changes that he needs to attack what Usyk's going to bring. I would have to side with Usyk just because of the confidence that he's going to come in with from the first fight.”