CARDIFF, Wales -- World heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua insists there is no trouble with motivation as he prepares to face Kubrat Pulev on Oct 28.
Joshua (19-0, 19 KOs) will face the Bulgarian at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff after former world No. 1 Wladimir Klitschko opted for retirement over a rematch with the Londoner.
The IBF-WBA world heavyweight champion stopped Klitschko in front of 90,000 crowd at Wembley Stadium in one of the biggest and most exciting fights of the year on April 29.
"It's no problem to get energised again," said Joshua at a news conference to promote what will be his fourth world title defence.
"I'm still a young man, and I'm far from looking to finish what I'm building."
Joshua, 27, was floored in the sixth round on his way to stopping Ukrainian Klitschko, who was dropped three times in total, in the 11th round. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist's trainer, Rob McCracken, afterward said Joshua needed to learn from the performance.
"That was a near-experience I went through and I'm now going to show what I've learned from it," Joshua said. "It's not about making a statement but showing my coach I'm listening to his instructions.
"It's about finesse and outclassing your opponents. If I need to go to war I can as well. Sometimes I can be smart and outthink an opponent, without taking too much punishment. Other times we have to go in the trenches and I've shown I can do that.
"We're not ducking [any challenger], we're firing back. We're keeping the belts. Each challenge that presents itself is another hurdle. All I want to do is impress my coach and if I do that, that satisfies me."
Pulev, 36, is Joshua's mandatory challenger for his IBF belt, and the Bulgarian has only lost once -- by knockout -- to Klitschko (in November 2014).
"I'm feeling physically and mentally fit. I'm ready to take my chance of winning," Pulev (25-1, 13 KOs) said.
Promoter Eddie Hearn also announced that Ireland's Katie Taylor will challenge for her first world title on the undercard.
Taylor (6-0, 4 KOs), an Olympic gold medalist in 2012, faces Argentina's Anahi Sanchez (17-2, 9 KOs) for the WBA lightweight title in her seventh professional fight.