Anthony Joshua has vowed to "chop down" Carlos Takam when the pair meet in Cardiff on Saturday night (28 October) with the Briton's IBF, WBA and IBO heavyweight crowns on the line.

The 28-year-old enters the fight as the overwhelming favourite but has insisted he will take nothing for granted against his opponent, who is eight years his senior and who only replaced the IBF mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev when the latter withdrew through injury earlier this month.

More from IBTimes UK

The Watford-born fighter has had to review his tactics ahead of the bout, as Takam is over two inches shorter than Pulev and four inches shorter than Joshua. However, Joshua said he was ready to fight "in a phone box" and target his opponent's body.

"I'm going to stand in front of [Takam] and chop his tree down, because that's what he does," Joshua told Sky Sports.

"A fighter like him wants to get on the inside, and work you around the body. I can't keep punching straight if a fighter is on my chest, so I need to work on my inside game and stand in a phone box. Those fights come down to will, heart and whoever wants it more.

"With Pulev it wasn't about whipping him around the body, it was about staying off the line and boxing down the middle. Carlos is different - he can trade down the middle. My speed will beat his combinations."

The Briton, who is still undefeated after 19 professional fights, hinted he could look to follow a similar approach to the one Alexander Povetkin adopted when he stopped Takam in 10 rounds in 2014.

"A good way to beat Carlos is to take his body out, that's what Povetkin did to him," he explained.

"[Takam] moves around a lot, and boxes well. As the rounds start going on he likes to trade, and throw hooks on the inside.

"I've had sparring partners who have tried to knock me out, and I've had to dig in and give them some body shots. So my inside game has definitely improved. If we stand on the inside and start trading, it will be entertaining."

A relatively low-key challenger who has won 35 and lost three of his 39 professional contests to date, few will give Takam any sort of realistic chance of depriving Joshua of his belts in the Welsh capital. However, Joshua explained his opponent was a "well rounded" fighter and that the difference in height between Takam and Pulev meant he would have to change his approach and "go to war" with the Cameroonian.

"Imagine throwing your best shots and they are still in front of you," the 2012 Olympic gold medallist added.

"It's disheartening. To do that for 12 rounds takes a lot of energy so sometimes I'll have to stand in front of him, trade with him, and go to war. I need to break his will, to break his heart.

"Takam keeps on coming, keeps on coming. He works the body well, and loves a left hook."

Saturday night's fight will mark Joshua's return to the ring for the first time since he sent Wladimir Klitschko into retirement with a gripping 11th-round stoppage in April in front of a capacity crowd at Wembley Stadium.