Former Finchley ABC boxer Anthony Joshua will look to maintain his record of never having gone beyond the third round when he takes on Kazakh Denis Bakhtov at the O2 Arena on Saturday.

The 24-year-old heavyweight, who won gold at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, has not been beyond the third round in any of his eight fights since turning professional.

And when asked if he hoped to go further on Saturday, Joshua replied: "No, I could never be hopeful for a few rounds."

Joshua did admit that he’ll have to be smart and cautious in the early rounds but believes he’ll break down Bakhtov the longer the fight progresses.

It’s a quick turnaround for Joshua who then fights Michael Sprott in a British title eliminator on November 22 on the undercard of the Tony Bellew/Nathan Cleverly show in Liverpool.

"It’s tough but it comes with the territory," Joshua said. "I see it like this. I went through the ranks as an amateur all the way to Olympics; it is now the same as a professional.

"It may not be the most glamorous title but it is all about the journey we are on - and wining this title is all part of the journey."

He continued: "It’s one year to the day since I made my professional debut and I can’t really forget a day that hasn’t been intense.

"When you’re constantly doing something, the months and fights fly by. I think it will slow down a little bit now though because it’s going to get tougher."

"We’re in the gym working real hard and the opponents I’ve faced need to be defeated. So we’re in the gym and planning out what’s going to happen. We planning out the missions and coming back to the base successful."

Bakhtov represent another step up for Joshua and Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn says the 6ft 6in fighter has exceeded expectations of him to date.

"He is progressing at a rate that we never really expected. The fact that he is demolishing these opponents doesn’t mean they are not any good.

"I thought we’d give him a dozen easy fights to begin with but when he demolishes someone, you’ve got to step it up again and again.

"Every fight is a step up from the last and Bakhtov is a big step up. You look at him though and you know he is a superstar.

"We’ve just got to manage him properly. While he is demolishing all these people though, we’ve got to keep stepping him up."

Joshua has sparred with world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko recently and felt the benefit of working with the 38-year-old Ukrainian.

He explained: "I’ve got a lot of respect for him as a fighter and a man. He’s very talented and is the second longest reigning heavyweight champion to ever live, so he is doing something right.

"I took a lot of what he does away. I recorded some things and wrote down some things. I think it is benefitting me now in the gym."