Anthony Joshua has revealed that he used to love watching Mike Tyson before he went into the ring.

'Iron Mike' used to intimidate his opponents by exuding so much raw aggression and menace that some of the fighters were beaten before they stepped into the ring.

Whilst exulting Tyson’s existential aura and presence in an interview with the Daily Mirror, Joshua has also said that he would never use that style.

He said: “I’ve shut down people in an arena before when I’ve walked to the ring, loads of people.

“I’ve gone into Mike Tyson-mode, when you walk in like a brick.

“But then you become stiff and what I’ve learned about myself is that, when I’m embracing it, when I’m smiling, touching people, appreciating that support, I feel good.

“At the gym, it’s busy day-to-day and it’s the same principal — I’m sparring, I’m training and I feel like I do in the gym when I’m in the ring.

“I’ve always got the other side of me, that spiteful side, but I retaliate more.

“It’s probably when I get hit with a jab and I’m like, ‘Yeah, all right, cool’, you start charging up a bit, that’s probably when I get going.

“When someone throws a bit of petrol on the fire, I flare up a bit.

“So that first punch… It’s a pride thing and you have to show you’re the dominant man in the ring.”

IBF world heavyweight title holder Joshua fights 41-year-old Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fight fans in a sold-out Wembley Stadium next Saturday.

The fight has been promoted as the biggest fight in British history and is sure to dominate the headlines this week as we build up to fight night.

The bout has also caused a bit of stir across the Atlantic, with American broadcasters HBO and Showtime negotiating for three months to get joint-broadcasting rights in the States.

Joshua has attributed the interest in the States to a fight featuring two Europeans as a shift in the focus of world boxing attention.

“Las Vegas used to be on my hit list.

"People used to say, you have to go to America to be respected, but it’s a case of, No, not any more. You come here; you come and fight us.”