sport news The weight AJ needs to be to succeed against Usyk and how it will impact his ... trends now

Anthony Joshua's weight has been a topic of conversation ever since he made the step up to professional boxing in 2013. Fans and pundits have occasionally criticised the British heavyweight for being 'too big', 'too heavy' and 'too sluggish'. 

Some insist the 32-year-old has bulked up too much since the amateur days when he beat Roberto Cammarelle in 2012 to become Great Britain's 29th and final gold medallist at London Olympic Games. 

Joshua has fluctuated in weight ever since. He has come in at a career heaviest of 18st and 2lbs for his fight against Carlos Takam in 2017. He has also weighed in at 16st 13lbs for his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr  - the lightest he has ever weighed for a world title fight. 

So, Sportsmail's Charlotte Daly has looked a whether there is a direct correlation between Joshua's performances in the ring and the number on the scales ahead of his blockbuster bout with Oleksandr Usyk on August 20. 

Having looked at AJ's round-by-round capacity, the power he creates and how he stacks up compared to previous heavyweight boxers, Sportsmail have also suggested what weight Joshua should come in at and what round he could cause the most damage in. 

Over a year after he won Olympic gold in his home city, Joshua made his professional debut at the 02 Arena against undefeated Italian Emanuele Leo.

As he did with all of his opponents throughout the first two years of his career, AJ knocked Leo out early on - sending him to the canvas before the first bell even rang. 

So, what weight did Joshua tip the scales at before stepping into the ring? AJ came in a tad over 16st 6lbs. The second lightest weight of his professional career to date. 

The Brit evidently carried a significantly smaller frame than what we've become accustomed to in more recent times. And although AJ was fighting against a lesser opposition, he came flying out the blocks, hunting for the knockout immediately.

It didn't take the explosive heavyweight long, as Leo was knocked to the ground in the first round following a flurry of punches with the fight immediately waved off after two minutes and 47 seconds. 

Just three weeks later, and Joshua was back for his third fight - this time at York Hall in London. He was up against Croat Hrvoje Kisicek, and won via technical knockout in the second round.

However, this fight holds particular significant as Joshua weighed in at 16st 5lbs and he has not come in lighter since. But, how did he perform against Kisicek - who came in at 15st 6lbs. 

Joshua exhibited overpowering strength, conditioning and speed against the Croatian heavyweight. His significant height and reach advantage also helped him apply pressure from the first bell.   

With a minute of the opening round remaining, a left hook to the body rocked Kisicek who did well to survive the subsequent onslaught and return to his stool. But he was merely delaying the inevitable.

Joshua had his man on the canvas after a sharp left-right-left combination and although the Croatian rose to his feet, the fight was waved off after another flurry of punches on the ropes. 

Speaking after the fight, AJ said: 'I worked on a few things in there. He was cagey, awkward and durable. It's important to work on things in the gym and take that to the ring. I'll be in Manchester next weekend performing again and I need to be ready for that.'

Joshua's weight for the two fights mentioned above was suitable considering the calibre of opponents he was facing. Therefore, as Joshua's level of opposition increased so did his weight. 

Joshua, who became a world champion after defeating Charles Martin, tipped the scales at his heaviest-ever weight ahead of his showdown in Cardiff with Carlos Takam a year later.

It was this fight that AJ received the most criticism for his weight. He came in at 18st 2lbs - while his opponent weighed-in 19lbs lighter. It also took AJ 10 rounds to defeat his opponent compared to his usual three. 

Fans thought AJ looked too bulky and appeared sluggish in the ring. However, there were some benefits to Joshua's new physique. His punch output was considerably higher than before. 

He was throwing 16 per cent over his average rate between rounds four to seven. He also peaked in round six - registering a 25 per cent higher output than his previous fights. That being said, he did lose rounds seven and nine - showing an element of fatigue. 

Nevertheless, Joshua managed to maintain an improved punch rate and consistently worked at a higher work rate than he had been used to. 

This has proved to be one of Joshua's most effective forms of fighting. The times he has struggled inside the ring have come when he has had to deal with a huge spike in work rate. 

This can be evidenced by his fights with Dillian Whyte, Wladimir Klitschko and Oleksandr Usyk.  

Whyte weighed in for his fight against AJ at 17st 9lbs. He also averaged 70 punches per round compared to his usual 56. Therefore, Joshua - who weighed in at 17st 7lbs - was thrown. 

Joshua threw a total of 404 punches during the fight and only landed 103. Whyte also dominated in terms of jabs, lead hooks and rear hooks as Joshua struggled with the spike in work-rate. 

Joshua

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