Wladimir Klitschko's first defeat in 11 years to Tyson Fury meant the Ukrainian had a lot to recover from.

Having been out of the ring for over a year, Klitschko is more eager than ever to win back the titles he lost, and will get his chance against Anthony Joshua this Saturday inside Wembley Stadium.

In a worrying statement, his trainer Jonathon Banks claimed that he 'knew' Klitschko would lose his fight against Fury three days before the fight took place in Dusseldorf. 

The Mirror reports Banks' statements: “I knew right away that Wladimir would lose. You can’t say when the feeling comes, but when it hit me about Fury and Wladimir, I had it in my head the whole time.

“I just thought ‘Damn!’ I had a feeling before the fight it wasn’t going to be our night.

"You can get the best basketball player in the world, but if he’s having an off shooting night, there’s nothing he can do about it.”

It's definitely not what Klitschko needed to hear three days before his fight with Joshua. Three days, anyone else seeing a pattern here?

However, as Banks believed that Klitschko lost because of an off night, he has warned the opposition not to write off the 41-year-old, referencing George Foreman who reclaimed the title at 45.

“It would be a mistake to think he’s too old. That’s the same thing Michael Moorer thought when he fought George Foreman. He thought the same thing Foreman thought when he fought Muhammad Ali in Zaire.

“George took what Ali did to him and did the exact same thing to Michael Moorer. There’s something about an old man who won’t back down from a fight and you better pay attention to the older guy."

Another thing to bear in mind is the opinion of Klitschko's brother Vitali, who also told the Mirror that Joshua could end Wladimir's career pending on the outcome.

He told the Mirror: "Everything, his future depends on him, and that's why if Joshua loses the fight, he has a lot of space, because of his age. He has a next time to fight, to try to be the world champion.

"Wladimir doesn't have a second chance. That's why we expect full concentration from him and, of course, a good result."

Seriously, way to amp up the pressure.