ANTHONY JOSHUA’s sparring partner Marko Milun is confident the Brit can beat Oleksandr Usyk following an intense training camp.
Joshua, 32, lost the WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight titles last September to Usyk on home soil at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The pair will now meet in a highly anticipated rematch on Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua has made a number of chancgs in the build-up to the rematch, axing mentor Rob McCracken for Robert Garcia.
There have also been significant changes in Joshua’s training camp -changes Joshua’s sparring partner Milun, 25, says will carry him to victory.
Speaking to BoyleSports Boxing Odds, Milun said: “AJ is technically perfect, he just needs good tactics. Good tactics will win the fight.
“AJ is the best technical boxer. Everything he does is perfect; jabs, hooks, uppercuts – AJ looks perfect, If they set him good tactics he will win, easy.
“This time the whole camp is different. It’s not the same. We spar maybe 15 rounds, me and AJ, very good rounds and it was explosive. I enjoyed it.
“Not like last time – everything was different, how he treated us, it was different. Coaches are different, his training is different, from the small things to the big things.
“He is hungry now, he wants to win badly. Last time we didn’t speak so much because we were separated, he was in his hotel.
“Now we eat together, we train together, we are at the pool together, recovering in the sauna.
“We have become closer than last time – he’s a very good guy. He’s relaxed – it’s big pressure, everyone thinks it’s big pressure, but I think he will handle the pressure.
“He’s a two time world champion and Olympic champion. For him the pressure is normal.
“Everybody speaks out against him – but who cares. I think he will show in the fight a better AJ.”
Milun says Joshua needs to “bully” Usyk as he won’t be able to outbox the Ukrainian.
He continued: “I told AJ you need to bully Usyk, you can’t box him. Everybody knows that.
“Maybe Usyk will expect that – he looks heavier this time. But not heavier than AJ.
“I don’t know how he will start and finish the fight because he trained to attack and he trained defence, he trained everything – in sparring he is better than last time.
“He only lost by four rounds last time. It’s not too much.
“If he catches him in those 12 rounds with a little bit of pressure he can knock out Usyk.”
Milun has also talked up the good nature of Joshua and his team.
Joshua paid for his sparring partner to fly home to Croatia after his family were involved in a car accident earlier this week.
Milun revealed: “They (Joshua and his team) helped me on Monday.
“My family had a car accident and they booked my flight immediately for three hours back to Croatia.
“They are very friendly and they helped me with everything. I missed the last sparring because of the accident.
“I thank all the AJ team for their help. Now my family is OK, my sisters need an operation, but they are not in danger and that’s the most important thing.”
