Anthony Joshua is on the brink of paving the way for an incredible 2018 of heavyweight boxing as the IBF and WBA world champion, and only Carlos Takam can stop him.

With fights against the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker mooted for next year, many are expecting Joshua to simply walk over his mandatory challenger and stride towards unification.

Such a feeling of inevitability was no more amplified than by Kubrat Pulev's withdrawal from the fight after sustaining a shoulder injury. 

His replacement - the aforementioned Takam - comes into the fight with a patchy record of 35-3 and just 17 months on from being completely outboxed by Parker.

That's not to mention the mess Alexander Povetkin made of him in 2014, either.

Nevertheless, while fans and ex-pros may see the bout as a foregone conclusion, AJ certainly hasn't slacked in his preparation. Joshua has warned: "He is durable. He will become more durable because he'll be in hostile territory.

"When you come into that type of environment, what have you got to lose? He'll say: 'I'll give it my all'.

"People have said: 'Josh, what round? What round?' I think we're going for a 10 to 12 round fight because this guy's head is like a block of cement."

Fans were given the opportunity to see both fighters in action during their obligatory media workout on Wednesday night - a chance to witness the condition of both Takam and Joshua.

Obviously, only so much can be deduced from pad work and balance drills but the Cardiff crowd certainly made their mind up on the challenger.

According to The Sun, the 1,400 in attendance were thoroughly underwhelmed by Takam's performance and explained that he looked every one of his 36 years.

He was seen sweating substantially during his 15-minute workout with Mark Irwin explaining that he looked like he had been 'hit by a lift.' 

So it's certainly promising signs for Joshua, but only October 28 will showcase Takam's true form and how AJ will cope.

The challenger spoke to the press after his season, stating: “I’m not bothered about fighting in front of 80,000 people.

“The only people in the ring will be myself and Joshua. Nothing else matters except the two athletes. I don’t see all those people when I’m in the ring.”

Bring it on.

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