If Anthony Joshua loses his world-title fight in front of a 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium, he will have not only himself but his heavyweight compatriot Tyson Fury to blame.
Wladimir Klitschko insists that his defeat by Fury rejuvenated his fighting instincts in time for his clash with Joshua on April 29.
He said: "If I had taken my routine win over Fury I would have just carried on the same way I had been preparing for 20 years, expecting it to be enough.'Instead I got that wake-up call and I am getting ready for the best of today's world heavyweight champions... Anthony in all his young and powerful athleticism."
The 14-year age gap between himself and Joshua was emphasised when they met at the launch of their fight when Klitschko, who calls Joshua 'Little Bro' from their sparring days, told him: "Dude, it was fun sparring together a while back and good to watch you win your Olympic gold medal at the London Games.
"But with our age difference I never thought we would end up fighting. It's strange how life works. But it's good"
