If not unshakable, rebuilt Anthony Joshua may be in best-ever mental state

Anthony Joshua insists says he never lost his self-belief following a second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk but insists that it was crucial that he took the right steps back into title contention.

After a tricky period, the old Joshua has definitely woken from his slumber over the past year. But he will face a real test when he meets IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21.

The 34-year-old Joshua seems happy and relaxed training with Ben Davison, and although he is always in outstanding physical shape, it could easily be argued that he also goes into his fight with Dubois in the best mental condition of his entire career.

It has taken a while, but this version of Joshua has the knowledge of what it takes to succeed at the highest level and has been made acutely aware of his own strengths and weaknesses.

Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) seems to have come to terms with the fact that he can be beaten, and whilst he may never regain the unshakeable self-belief that carried him through his first reign as heavyweight champion, that extra layer of caution has made him a more calculating fighter.

Maybe most importantly, he has rediscovered the confidence to fully commit to his attacks once he does decide to dig his toes into the canvas.

“Progressive,” said Joshua when asked by DAZN to sum up his past 12 months.

“We started off on a rocky road, coming off a defeat to the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk. He’s gone on to be a credible fighter, a credible heavyweight. So, coming off two defeats to him, you know how it is: You always believe in yourself, but it’s hard when people stop believing in you as well.”

Describing Usyk as a credible fighter may be underplaying the Ukrainian’s ability a touch, or it could be that Joshua is still judging himself too harshly. It could also be a sign that rather than putting Usyk on a pedestal, Joshua believes that the improvements he has made since he suffered those back-to-back losses have made him a much better fighter and that he still views Usyk as an attainable target.

Dubois promises to provide the most serious and violent test of his abilities in some time. If Joshua can calmly carry out his plan and dispose of his fellow Londoner in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, he can truly say he is back.

“You have a lot of pressure from people saying you’re not that same person anymore, so you’ve got to go back and rebuild,” Joshua said. “I went through that rebuilding process, and if you look at the consistency – I’m not saying that I’ve beaten world champion after world champion – but in order to get to the world championships, I’ve had to take steps. And each fight has led to here, so each fight has been a good progression.

“From going 12 rounds with [Jermaine] Franklin, seven with [Robert] Helenius – which was supposed to be Dillian [Whyte] – down to five with [Otto] Wallin, then to two with [Francis] Ngannou. Who knows what will happen on Sept. 21?”

John Evans has contributed to a number of well-known publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John on X @John_Evans79