Anthony Joshua has pleaded with fans to pray for him as he aims to become a heavyweight world champion for the third time.
AJ faces fellow Brit Daniel Dubois at a sold-out Wembley on Saturday night, with the latter’s IBF belt on the line. The 34-year-old is hoping to reclaim the title he lost to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 on what promises to be a monumental night for boxing on these shores.
There will be 96,000 fans at ringside for the super-fight, but if Friday’s weigh-in at Trafalgar Square was anything to go by, Joshua will have the majority of the support. His entrance was roared by a huge crowd as he weighed in slightly heavier than Dubois.
And he addressed the assembled crowd, thanking them for their support throughout his 11-year professional career - and asking for another big effort this weekend.
He said: "I want to thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin. If I can ask one favour, go home tonight and pray for my success tomorrow and that I become a three-time champion of the world.
"I look at myself as a gladiator and I'm going to step into the arena tomorrow to perform for the people.
"They [the fans] are here for the undercard too, so we have to give credit to the undercard too. I started late in boxing but it shows you can achieve anything.
And when asked if he was thinking about what comes beyond this fight, and how long he has left in the sport, Joshua added: "I'm not a warrior in the garden yet, I'm still on the battlefield."
His promoter Eddie Hearn said: "It feels like bread and butter but there is a big job to do tomorrow. I want to thank everyone for continuously supporting Anthony Joshua and he will give it his all tomorrow."
Dubois comes into the bout as the underdog with the bookmakers, but he is confident that he’s in the right place to cause an upset on the biggest night of his own career so far.
"I'm ready to fight. Now it's time to get in the ring and fight, let's go,” Dubois said. "We've been working hard.
"A lot of work and training has gone into this and I'm ready to go. The talking is done. A win by any means necessary."
Frank Warren was similarly optimistic about his fighter’s prospects in what could be a hostile atmosphere. "He's a young man, he turned 27 a few weeks ago and is coming off some massive wins. I've never seen him this confident. Tomorrow you will see something special.
"These two guys will throw bombs at each other and you'll see something extra special."
