Anthony Joshua has vowed to hurt and harm Oleksandr Usyk in tonight’s heavyweight title rematch at the Jeddah Superdome in Saudi Arabia.

Recall that eleven months ago, Usyk (19-0, 13 KOs) scored a definitive unanimous decision victory against Joshua (24-2, 22 KOs) to win the WBA, WBO, IBF, and IBO titles.

Joshua, who is desperate to redeem and reclaim his title belt, told Daily Mail that his initial intention was never to hurt Usyk due to the war in Ukraine.

However, he has made a u-turn by vowing to hurt Usk where he ever expected it in tonight’s heavyweight fight.

“It sounds crazy but I’m not going to lie. My objective was never to hurt him, to land damaging punches. My aim was to go the full 12 rounds and prove I could box as well as he does. To land scoring punches,” Joshua told Daily Mail.

“I do want to do him harm this time, despite all my respect for what he has done in the war in Ukraine. I do know that if I use my elements of height and strength I will have a better chance of winning.

“But I didn’t work hard enough to prepare for a 12-round fight at that pace. I wasn’t in the right mindset. That of wanting to go in there and smash him. Using my size and power this time is evident, isn’t it? But to work on it is easier said than done.

“Right after, in the changing room, I knew I would fight again. I was telling everyone: Come on. What the f***. We are warriors. We lost a fight but not the war. This is an ongoing battle. It’s not over till it’s over. That’s how I remotivated my team. Nothing should dishearten you. I have to keep that mentality. For the rest of my life. Even if I stumble privately or publicly.”