Carlos Takam is planning to target Anthony Joshua’s body in Saturday’s fight – and has also revealed that he is relying on more than just a shock knockout.
Takam The Frenchman has warned the IBF, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion he has learnt from the mistakes that led to his previous defeats.
Takam, 36, stepped in to become Joshua’s challenger at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium at less than a fortnight’s notice following an injury to Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria.
His previous defeats, to Gregory Tony and more recently Alexander Povetkin and Joseph Parker, suggested he remains short of the level required to threaten the world’s leading heavyweight.
The most recent of those came against WBO champion Parker in New Zealand last year, but he has since won twice and responded by coming to the UK earlier than he travelled to fight Parker in Manukau City.
“I should have arrived earlier in New Zealand to acclimatise: I got tired in that fight,” said Takam, who has previously sparred with 28-year-old Joshua’s compatriot David Haye. “I try not to look at it as a defeat, it’s just a way to learn more.
I always ask myself what I could have done better in the fight: I ask myself what was missing from my game. “It will be just as important to work Joshua’s body as well as the head, and my speed will be important too. “If I can do things differently from what other boxers have done against him, I’ll have a chance to win by knockout.”
