Anthony Joshua looks leaner than ever as he displays slimmed down physique ahead of Oleksandr Usyk fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Anthony Joshua looks leaner than ever as he prepares to defend his world heavyweight titles against Oleksandr Usyk later this month.

The Brit will pit his WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles on the line at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25 against his mandatory challenger.

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Although required by the WBO board to face the Ukrainian, Joshua will be all too aware of the danger presented to him by Usyk.

Like Joshua, Uysk collected a Gold medal at the Olympic Games in London back in 2012 and has amassed an impressive body work of work in the ensuing nine years.

The former undisputed world cruiserweight champion has since moved up to heavyweight with the hope of replicating that feat, starting with Joshua and his trinkets later this month.

Famed for his footwork and elusive movement inside the ring, the 33-year-old presents a puzzle which Joshua is unlikely to have faced in the pro ranks and it seems he is taken the necessary precautions.

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Having tipped the scales at 249lbs (17st 8lbs) against Andy Ruiz Jr more than two years ago, ‘AJ’ appears to be much slimmer for the puzzle posed to him by his Ukrainian foe.

Indeed, as these pictures illustrate, the Watford-native is seemingly less focused on building muscle as part of his strength and conditioning work and is instead going back to basics.

Joshua has always boasted an impressive physique and it seems as though he is grafting on his technical skills now as he aims to complete his goal of becoming undisputed heavyweight world champion.

Domestic rival Tyson Fury holds the final piece of the puzzle with his WBC heavyweight championship on the line against Deontay Wilder on October 8 in their trilogy bout.

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