By Tim Parsons-
Anthony Joshua is weary of his new IBF challenger, Carlam Takam. Takam was brought in as a late replacement for Kubrat Pulev, who suffered a shoulder injury during intense sparring.
Takam has lost 3 times in 39 fights, and has one draw on his record 39-3-1.(27). He is believed to be a durable fighter.
27-year-old Joshua will defend his WBA ‘super’ and IBF heavyweight titles against Takam on October 28th because, Takam is ranked third on the IBF rankings. Under the International Boxing Federation( IBF) rules, the next challenger in line will replace the mandatory challenger in the event of injury prior to a world championship fight.
Takam is a tough come forward fighter, but at 6ft 1 inches, gives away five inches to his towering opponent who has stopped all 19 of his opponents inside the distance. With 39 fights under his belt, he has just over twice the experience of Joshua as expected to give Joshua a tough fight before he is blown away like all 18 of Joshua’s opponents before him.
Anthony Joshua told reporters that Takam’s head is like a block of cement, as his expressed his anticipation of a long fight. The Londoner has only gone beyond four rounds on three occasions, making this potentially the fourth hard fight he will have. Joshua is a powerful boxer, but will benefit from more rounds, as he did in his fight with Wladimir Klitschko, last April. As world champion, he will be up against some hungry and durable boxers, so will benefit from all the experience he can get in those fights.
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”People have said ‘Joshua what round?’ I think we’re going for a 10 to 12 round here you know. This guy’s head is like a block of cement”, Joshua told reporters.
“Takam is already as tough as they come,” said Joshua. “He’s so tough. He just keeps on walking forward and that’s disheartening for a fighter.
“When I’m in there with him, it will be interesting to see how game and ready he is, and what fire he is ready to go through.
“I’ve had some sparring partners that have been coming and trying to knock me out and I’ve had to dig in a bit and give them a few body shots back and so on.
“My inside game has definitely improved, so I think if we have to stand on the inside and start trading off, it will definitely be an entertaining fight for the people watching”
Joshua is currently the most popular and most rated heavyweight boxer in Britain, with a growing fan base who all see him as the best in the division. He is certainly among the very best, but most knowledgeable fans and analysts believe the well liked Londoner will have to beat Deontey Wilder and side lined Tyson Fury, before he can be considered the best. Joshua . Anthony Joshua has expressed his willingness to take on all comers, but must first defend the belt with his mandatories before going for the more experienced young fighters in the division. Tyson Fury remains out of the picture until a decision about his boxing license is made, but with nearly 2 years away from the game, it will become increasingly unlikely for him to beat Anthony Joshua if they ever meet. Fury’s weight goes up and down, and the former world champion is known to struggle with disciplined training, especially with the uncertainty surrounding his career.