Dominic Breazeale believes he can take Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight belt in London

Dominic Breazeale recalls crossing paths with Anthony Joshua at the 2012 Olympic Village in London as an uneventful affair.

When the pair step into the ring to fight each other June 25 for Joshua’s International Boxing Federation heavyweight belt, something more lively will happen.

Joshua (16-0, 16 knockouts) this week selected Breazeale, 30, of Upland, this week as his opponent for his first title defense. On April 9, Joshua delivered a devastating second-round knockout of former champion Charles Martin of North Hollywood.

“It means everything. It’s what I’ve been training for the last seven, eight years. I’m fortunate to be in the position I’m in. I was training, I was already in camp, so now I’ve got eight weeks to prepare for the biggest bout of my life and I’m excited for it,” Breazeale told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday in his first interview since England promoter Eddie Hearn announced the bout.

“I wasn’t pleased with Martin’s performance at all. I didn’t think he was ready for a step in that direction. You and I both know that he was gifted the belt the way he won against [injured Vyacheslav] Glazkov. It’s upsetting an American going to London and that happening the way it did.

“I plan on changing that.”

Breazeale (17-0, 15 KOs) was prepared to fight former heavyweight title contender Chris Arreola of Riverside on Saturday at StubHub Center, a card headlined by the Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto rematch, but Arreola was injured.

And as Joshua assessed the landscape, the 2012 super-heavyweight gold medalist noted Breazeale, who was eliminated in the first round of the Olympics before rallying impressively as a pro.

In January, Breazeale produced a compelling triumph days after his mother’s death. He was knocked down by veteran heavy hitter Amir Mansour in the third round, got up and won, delivering a fifth-round uppercut that broke Mansour’s jaw and caused him to bite through his tongue. Mansour couldn’t answer the bell for the sixth round.

“I definitely feel I’m ready for [Joshua],” Breazeale said. “I’ve passed the tests. No fighter wants to get put down on the mat, but I did come back well from it, broke the guy’s jaw. Anytime you make a man quit on his stool, you’ve broken him down, broke his will, taken everything he’s got. I might be a slow starter, but I got stronger and stronger.”

Against Joshua at London’s O2 Arena, Breazeale knows he’ll have to start faster.

“I want to beat him at his own game. I’m bigger and stronger than him, so I’ve got to bully him around, punch him all over the place, make him feel like there’s three or four Dominic Breazeales in the ring with him,” Breazeale said. “And by the third, I want to break his spirit and bring him back where he needs to be, down from the clouds and realize he’s in a dog fight. I’m in this to win, so he better come to fight.

“He has home court advantage, I’m the underdog. What better place to be? I love being in that position. If I’m not getting the love, I’ve only got one way to go.”