8 hrs ago
2 min read
If Anthony Joshua repeats the mistakes made against Kristian Prenga, the 36-year-old's trainer knows a 'very big fish' will punish him for them.
Clearly alluding to Joshua's British rival Tyson Fury, Joshua's trainer Iegor Golub refraimed from naming "The Gypsy King" explicitly in a post on Instagram. However, he did take the chance to warn said fish that Joshua also possesses incredible power and "won't forgive a single mistake" either.
Joshua (30-4, 26 KOs) trained with Golub and Team Usyk before his December win over Jake Paul but the partnership was subjected to a severe pressure test by Albanian underdog Prenga.
After being dropped within the opening 20 seconds and hurt repeatedly, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion had to rely on heart and determination rather than skill and ability to survive the first round.
Aided by a business-like talking to between rounds and Prenga's decision to ration the right hand that put him on the verge of a life-changing win, Joshua regained his composure, seized the impetus and knocked him out as the second round drew to a close.
During his time as a top class amateur boxer and Team Usyk member, Golub has been involved in some major fights and navigated his way through some high pressure moments.
Yet with his charge on the brink of suffering a stunning upset and a long-awaited, highly lucrative Fury fight hanging by a thread, he admitted that time seemed to slow down.
Golub's post in full, read as follows:
It's not mistakes that define a champion. It's how he responds to them.
A few moments passed after the first knockdown, and I glanced at the clock: 2:36 remained in the round. Those were probably the longest two and a half minutes of my life.
I imagine they were for AJ as well. But he pulled himself together, showed his character, and weathered the storm. There was a lot at stake. We all understood that then, and we understand it even more now.
I don't see much point in commenting on the knockout itself. The power in his hands is incredible, and every single day we work to make that weapon as sharp as it can possibly be.
Huge thanks to the Ready to Fight team for their work, to Oleksandr Usyk, and to my loved ones who traveled to the other side of the world to support us.
Ahead of us is a "very big fish" that won't forgive a single mistake. Anthony won't forgive a single mistake too.
News
Heavyweight
Next
Declan Taylor: Five things we didn't learn from Fury-Joshua doubleheader
Can you beat Coppinger?
Lock in your fantasy picks on rising stars and title contenders for a shot at $100,000 and exclusive custom boxing merch.
Partners
