Phil 'The Power' Taylor vows to emulate Anthony Joshua
Thursday 10 December 2015 17:35, UK
Phil Taylor and Anthony Joshua - who has more ‘Power’?
The darts legend is a fan of the heavyweight boxer and will be using Joshua as knockout inspiration ahead of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace from December 17.
The Olympic gold medal winner fights Dillian Whyte this Saturday, live on Sky Sports Box Office - but who is the Anthony Joshua of the darts oche?
"Me! Except he's bigger and better looking than me," Taylor told Sky Sports.
He'll be the best heavyweight that we've ever seen.
"He'll be the best heavyweight that we've ever seen."
A remarkable 14 victories at the Ally Pally extravaganza confirms Taylor as the mightiest of darts heavyweights and he has retained his fighting spirit.
With the World Darts Championship gearing up to restart over the festive period, Taylor is clenching his fists and preparing to battle younger contenders.
"The worlds is the biggest, you can't get bigger than that," he said. "If you win the worlds, that's everything. You've either got the motivation or you haven't, if you can't get motivated then you shouldn't be in the thing.
"Everything is different to 15 years ago. The equipment has changed, the dartboards have changed, the lighting has changed. The stages are different, the crowds are much bigger. That's all the young players are used to, but for me it's different.
"It was a different game back then, you had months to prepare for tournaments. Now you've got days. You have to try and get a cat-nap when you can. If I was Michael van Gerwen's age it wouldn't bother me one bit!
"It's sink or swim. You're chucked in the deep end and you've got to get on with it."
'The Power' has built up to this tournament by treating himself to a rest and believes that recharged batteries could be the key to a 15th victory.
Taylor has also stressed the importance of looking beyond the top contenders like Van Gerwen and Gary Anderson, because of the depth in quality of other players.
He said: "I've got two weeks off to get myself ready. It's been three years since my last one, so I'll be in with a shout, trust me.
"It does help having a break because you can get some rest in. It's been a hectic year. But I'll be ready.
"I'll be watching Michael Smith who has got the capabilities, and Ian White is a very good player."
The World Darts Championship is live on Sky Sports between December 17 and January 3.
