Oleksandr Usyk is 'very confident' of beating Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight title fight, according to his manager Alexander Krassyuk.
Joshua, 31, will defend his WBA, WBO and IBF world titles against the undefeated Usyk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25.
Usyk's chances of beating 'AJ' have been written off by many, but his fellow Ukrainian believes the former undisputed cruiserweight champion will surprise boxing fans by daring to be great.
Krassyuk told MyBettingSites: "Oleksandr is very confident in his victory over AJ and how he will beat him - so therefore he easily agreed for the second bout because his mindset will be even more favorable after he wins the first.
"There were no other options for Oleksandr after he became the undisputed champion and defended against Tony Bellew.
"There was nothing else to prove at cruiserweight and staying there would for sure be a stagnation or even a step back.
"Now Alex has a huge motivation to get up at 5am every day and work as hard as he can for he has an objective in front of him.
"After just two bouts at heavyweight, Usyk signed the contract for a multiple belt showdown with the king of the heavyweights."
Asked why he is so confident Usyk beats AJ, Krassyuk, 39, replied: "I must say for those who do not see the clear reality that Usyk is a heavyweight - Oleksandr is the same size, weight, reach as his idol, “The Greatest” Muhammad Ali.
"Can anyone say Ali, the best of all time, was not a true heavyweight? So there is no problem there, if Ali can be beat the best at that size, so can Usyk.
"For AJ we wish him only the best, we wish him a wonderful training camp with no injuries or any other troubles.
"I respect him so much for his achievements in boxing, for his humble behavior, being such a massive star, for his bright personality.
"But let the best man win in September and then we will do it again in the rematch."
Oleksandr Usyk is drawing inspiration from his ring idol Muhammad Ali
Krassyuk also went on to praise Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn insisting that he has no reservations about the judges - adding that Usyk has rather fond memories of boxing on British soil.
He added: “Usyk has absolutely no problem fighting in the UK – he became the European Champion in Liverpool, Olympic champion in London, he beat Tony Bellew in Manchester, he beat Dereck Chisora in London – so he has lucky experience there.”
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