The former two-time heavyweight world champion, 36, returns on December 19 to face Jake Paul, 28, in Miami, Florida in what will be his first bout since being stopped by Dubois, also 28, in September 2024.

AJ has spent more than a year out of the ring following the loss to Dynamite - but Joshua has now explained that the setback forced him to slow down and reflect on the demands he had placed on himself both inside and outside of boxing.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “For every time you win, there’s a reason. For every time you lose, there’s a reason.

“When you lose, you tend to take a deeper look at yourself and take time to figure out what went wrong.

“I was moving 100 miles an hour, inside training, preparing for fights, working outside of boxing. At some stage, anyone probably needs a bit of a reset.”

Joshua revealed he had long anticipated a pause in his career, even during his championship years.

He explained that the Dubois defeat accelerated a plan he had been considering for some time.

He said: “I predicted this moment in like 2018. Not the loss, but the workload. It came to that stage where I thought I probably need a year out of the game.”

The original intention was a quiet return, far removed from the spotlight that has followed Joshua since his Olympic gold in 2012.

He said: “The plan was to take a year out, come back with an understated fight, no media, no press conference, just walk out and fight. I was actually planning on fighting this weekend in Saudi Arabia.”

Instead, a lucrative and unexpected opportunity arose against Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer, who has never faced an opponent of Joshua’s caliber.

While many view the contest as a mismatch, Joshua insists his focus is on preparation rather than expectation.

He said: “The first bell’s going to go and I need to understand Jake Paul’s rhythm, his negatives and his positives, then exploit them.

“What I’m going to do personally is be at the highest point of self. I’m going to be the best version of myself.”