If Anthony Joshua sets the pace early and imposes himself, former rival Dillian Whyte could see him scoring a knockout victory over mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk.

Joshua will defend the WBO, IBF, WBA, IBO heavyweight titles against Usyk on Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Whyte, who was knocked out by Joshua in 2015, could see an early ending when the British superstar faces Usyk.

“Joshua will stop him in the first five, six, or seven rounds. Usyk will start fast, and Joshua will be a bit cagey because he’s a southpaw, and he’s lighter," Whyte told BBC 5 Live.

"Joshua also lacks confidence sometimes in fights where he can get caught up, ‘He’s a good boxer.’ Hopefully, he goes back to his old self and starts pressing Usyk and being the bigger, stronger guy and starts backing him up and hitting him with stuff.

“I think he can get the job done early. Usyk is a good southpaw, but he’s an aggressive southpaw as well. He likes to press the fight, but Joshua has height and reach, and power. If Joshua wants to set the pace, he can get an early knockout. But if he wants to prove who’s the better boxer, I think he’ll struggle."

Only two boxers have been able to last the full distance with Joshua - both of them being former world champions, Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz.

Usyk is viewed by some observers as a blown-up cruiserweight.

The Ukrainian challenger dominated the cruiserweight ranks and became the undisputed world champion before making a decision to move up in weight.

Both he and Joshua captured gold medals at the 2012 Olympic games in London. Usyk won his gold at heavyweight, with Joshua being the top man at super heavyweight.