Anthony Joshua says he is the best version of Jake Paul

Joshua made a lot of mistakes in his loss to Daniel Dubois that he can’t afford to make against Jake in their round of 16. Trying to slug it out like he used to in the early part of his career won’t work at 36 with all the miles on him.

“Everything I’ve seen the greats do, I’m just going to do exactly what I have to do. I’m going to be the best version of myself,” said Anthony Joshua Sky Sports Boxing about his mindset going into Friday’s fight with Jake Paul.

Thinking about what the elite fighters would do in a certain situation could make Joshua unfocused during the Jake fight. If he keeps thinking, ‘What would these top fighters do in the past’, he can get hurt. The reality is that Joshua is not “great” material. Trying to fight like them wouldn’t be a good idea given his limitations with his chin and stamina.

There is a big difference between the greats of the past and Joshua. It’s hard to compare AJ to the top heavyweights of the previous era, and it would be foolish for him to try to emulate their game at this late stage of his career. What Anthony lacks is his ability to take hard shots. The top fighters of the past could land a punch without going down.

“I’m going to do everything I want to do, and nobody’s going to stop me,” Joshua said. “What I’m going to do personally is to be at the highest point of myself.”

AJ has to hold back from “trying to do everything” he wants against Paul, and fight within his physical limits. If he was younger, with an iron chin, he could try different things by being more aggressive.

The best style for Joshua would be the one Wladimir Klitschko used when he teamed up with Emanuel Steward and went defensive. That approach would be ideal for preserving his game, working within the limits of his conditioning and hitting resistance.

Joshua faces Jake Paul in an eight-round fight on Netflix this Friday, December 19, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.