Anthony Joshua demonstrates power in training session

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Anthony Joshua has promised to “hurt” and “beat” his Ukrainian opponent Oleksandr Usyk this weekend. The heavyweight champion puts his WBA, WBO, IBO and IBF belts on the line on Saturday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Hard-hitting AJ believes Usyk will be the second-biggest challenge of his career, only behind Wladimir Klitschko.

AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn said last summer that a two-fight deal had been signed with fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury.

Those plans, however, fell through after an arbitrator ruled Fury had to face American Deontay Wilder for a third time.

A sell-out crowd of 70,000 will be cheering the Watford-born boxer on this weekend.

One man who won’t be in attendance, however, is Prince Harry.

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Harry, AJ and boxer Nicola Adams launched the Made by Sport initiative in 2019.

The programme aims to provide a variety of sporting provisions in deprived parts of British cities.

When Harry guest edited BBC Radio Four’s Today Programme for the day back in 2017, Joshua joined him on air.

Joshua was preparing for his unification bout with Joseph Parker at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium at the time — which AJ won by unanimous decision after 12 gruelling rounds.

AJ said shortly after meeting the prince: “It was phenomenal rubbing shoulders with him. He’s very focused, a working man and also he’s a boxing fan.

“We are doing it in his country so he likes what we are doing – bringing attention to the country.”

Prior to his marriage to Meghan Markle, Harry’s official title was ‘His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales’.

On the morning of his wedding, the Queen granted him the Dukedom of Sussex. 

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Harry used Wales as his surname for military purposes and was called ‘Captain Harry Wales’ in such contexts.

When Joshua was asked if Harry would be in attendance at the Cardiff fight, he quickly shut any chance of that down.

AJ said: “But will he be there? No definitely not. I wouldn’t even want him there.

“I’d be shouting ‘Oi Harry’.”

Joshua had previously made a cheeky offer to be Harry’s best man.

He tweeted a picture of the Duke with the caption: “Back to work this morning! Congrats on everything this year & no pressure on the R4 guest edit!

“P.s. Need a best man?”

Harry, unsurprisingly, had his brother Prince William as best man.

The Duke admitted in a 2017 interview that he had turned to boxing when the weight of his mother’s death had left him “very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions”.

He said: “During those years I took up boxing, because everyone was saying boxing is good for you and it’s a really good way of letting out aggression.

“And that really saved me because I was on the verge of punching someone, so being able to punch someone who had pads was certainly easier.”

He sparred with former world champion Duke Mckenzie as part of charity initiative Heads Together, alongside his brother William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.

Mckenzie told the Daily Mail: “Harry had the strongest punch.

“Harry’s a banger, make no mistake about it. He runs like a Bentley or a Rolls Royce — he purrs quite well.

“I’ve boxed my whole life and he’s got a fair punch on him.”

The Duke and Duchess will surely be cheering AJ on from afar on Saturday night.

Anthony Joshua vs Oleksandr Usyk will be shown in the UK on Sky Sports Box Office. The ring walk is scheduled for 9:45pm.

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