British-Nigerian heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua has revealed that Oleksandr Usyk told him to keep a cool head ahead of their December 11 fight against Tyson Fury in Cardiff.

Joshua trained with Usyk, who beat Fury twice in 2024, before reuniting with coach Ben Davison for the camp.

Speaking on The Ring, he said the Ukrainian’s guidance was simple, though he will follow his own instincts.

“Usyk has told me: ‘keep a cool head, don’t lose yourself in the back and forth,’ and that’s fair enough,” Joshua said.

“But ultimately, as I go back to saying, a lot of people are going to tell me what they think is best, but only I can follow myself. If I want to talk, I want to talk, and that’s just how I feel.”

He added that no advice can replace what happens inside the ring.

“There’s certain things that he can express. But it doesn’t matter what people tell you. I can watch a film and see a thing that I can exploit a million times, but when you’re in the heat of battle, it’s truly what’s in there, it’s what’s deep inside you,” he said.

“And I really want to win, so I don’t care if it’s a left, a right, if I got to go southpaw, I just got to do what I got to do to get the victory.”

Fury is the marginal favourite, and a WBA world title is reportedly at stake. Both men stayed calm at their opening press conference, with some of the 38-year-old Fury’s jibes failing to get under Joshua’s skin.

It remains to be seen whether that continues in fight week, with a rivalry of more than 10 years close to being settled.

The fight itself faces some uncertainty. Residents of Cardiff have objected to plans for ring walks at 1am on Saturday, December 12, to suit United States television audiences. Cardiff Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee will rule on the application for a special license on November 25.