THE BEST BAR MUM
Joshua slaps fight ban on his mother so he can focus on beating Klitschko
ANTHONY JOSHUA has banned his mum from Saturday’s showdown with Wladimir Klitschko.
Yeta Odusanya will not be among the 90,000 inside Wembley but instead a couple of miles away at home on the strict orders of the unbeaten IBF heavyweight champion.
Joshua has not let his mum watch him fight since he won Olympic gold at London 2012 and feels it could be too much of a distraction to have her ringside worrying about him.
His dad Robert will be there but Yeta will wait at home for the phone call telling her the fight is over.
Joshua said: “My old man will be there again but I don’t really let my mum come to my fights.
“I’ve banned her. It’s not a place where you want to see your kid I don’t think – at a fight. My dad can watch it but not my mum.
“She is confident enough in me to watch but I would rather she’s not there. One of my cousins will call her after the fight.
“She enjoys it all though and she gets a few freebies.”
Joshua will go up against a fighter who hasn’t been in the ring since Tyson Fury took his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles off him in Dusseldorf 17 months ago.
But the 27-year-old, who has won all 18 of his pro fights by knockout, insists he can’t simply copy what Fury did with his tactics instead based on speed and power.
Joshua also refuses to read too much into his opponent’s display that night when he looked shot as he prepares to face the best Klitschko.
He said: “I haven’t watched the Fury fight much. Because it was the most recent one it is relevant – but Fury is completely different to me.
“I can’t box the way Fury boxed and expect it to be as simple as that for me. I just look at little parts of it, not the whole thing.
“Klitschko just didn’t show up in that fight. A lot of great fighters have made mistakes and come back so I’m expecting the best Klitschko.
“I’m just worried about what I can do. Everyone is different when you fight them. I’m going to worry about myself and how I’m feeling. Am I confident? As long as I tick my boxes I know I’m in a good place.”
While Joshua is just four years into his pro career, Klitschko’s brother claims his sibling’s is at stake.
Wladimir has refused to say if he will retire if he loses at Wembley but Vitali, 45 – who bowed out in 2013 – reckons it will be impossible for the ex-world heavyweight king to continue aged 41.
He said: “Wladimir right now is focusing on the fight.
“He knows from this fight a lot depends on his future and his career. It’s the time to think about stopping and not fighting anymore or continuing his career.
“Wladimir knows he has to dominate, not to wait to come in and show his performance – there’s no other way.
“He knows that, I’ve talked to him many times.
“Everything, his future, depends on him and that’s why if Joshua loses he has a lot of space because of his age. He has a next time to fight, to try to be the world champion.
“Wladimir doesn’t have a second chance. That’s why we expect full concentration from him and of course a good result.”
● Sky Sports Box Office will show Joshua v Klitschko exclusively live. To book go to www.skysports.com/Joshua.