Anthony Joshua looked slim when he stepped onto the scales for the weigh-in against Francis Ngannou.
His nose weighed 18 stone and he looked every inch a lean, brutal boxing machine.
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In fact, in his previous fight against Otto Wallin, he was just one kilo shy of his current weight. It looks like he’s found his fighting weight as he aims for another successful performance.
Last year, AJ revealed that his approach to his diet and nutritional needs had changed.
To become more of an endurance athlete, he runs longer distances rather than shorter, more explosive sprints.
The former heavyweight champion is also taking breaks from rest days and sticking to a strict regime.
What changed
When he first started his professional career, he admitted in a magazine interview after defeating Jermaine Franklin that he focused on sprinting as part of his program.
100-meter and 200-meter sprints before moving on to 400 meters helped his explosive power.
AJ realized that most fighters had the ability to burst quickly. To become a more durable boxer, he had to run longer distances.
“When I first start, you start [with] 400 meters and that’s your 12 rounds. You start running 100 meters and progress to 200 meters. “So 100 meters is powerful and explosive,” he said.
“And as I progressed, I started to realize, everybody’s explosive, but everybody also has stamina. That’s what I was like, I need to be explosive, but I also need stamina.
“I went through a huge phase myself where I was trying to figure out what was right and what was wrong. And now I’m in a phase where people want me to be explosive.
“However, I realized that I would rather complete the 400 meters and still come first. I have now changed my training to be more of a long endurance athlete, rather than just being explosive for the 200 meters and then crashing.”
Periodic training
In an interview with Men’s Health, AJ continued: “I like low rep ranges, but it’s all about phase training. So I usually try to do everything. I’ll be in a strength session. I’m doing jumps, I’m doing heavy weights.”
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“I do some core work and running, so I’m not specializing in anything. I get a good workout in, but some coaches want to get their money’s worth.
“They haven’t been with you for long. So what I’ve learned is to periodize my training. Rather than ‘Let’s do it,’ it’s more like ‘Let’s make the most of this three- or two-week block and move on. Just make the most of this session.’
“Where do I want to be in two weeks? Or in three weeks? But then I can measure my progress.”
proper nutrition
It was previously reported that AJ consumes 5,000 calories a day.
He follows a varied diet with the help of nutritionist Mark Ellison, who also works with Manchester United and the Olympic GB team.
Sometimes, during a training camp, he becomes vegan by requesting “fresh” foods instead of meat and fish.
“He’ll eat like avocado, falafel, some veggies, some rice,” Joshua said in preparation for his fight with Joseph Parker.
For breakfast, AJ is said to indulge in porridge, eggs, fruit and yoghurt.
“Then we follow up with potatoes, tuna, mayonnaise, beets and a handful of vegetables,” he has said in the past.
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“For dinner I’ll have some chicken, mashed potatoes and rice with lots of veggies. I make sure I drink plenty of water and I’ll have my protein shakes between sessions.”
take it more seriously
AJ now knows how to fuel his body properly and takes nutrition seriously.
“I didn’t take it as seriously as I do now, nutrition is so important. “After a session I’d be in the gym and we’d rest for maybe another two hours.
“But if you look at the minute I started training, the minute I finished, [so when] I hit my last punch, I haven’t eaten all this time, and after showering and chatting with everyone, I stay at the gym for another two hours. I probably haven’t eaten anything in about five hours. I used to lose a lot of weight.
“That’s another thing, I was associating losing weight with getting fit. So I was cutting out the benefits of nutrition. But if you want to be fit, you need to nourish your body and fuel your body. It’s like a car.”
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“You can’t expect it to go a long distance without fuel. I can’t expect to be fit enough to go a long distance without the right fuel. So it was actually a myth in my head, something like: Oh, because I’m lighter, I’m fitter.
“So I’m pushing myself and it’s [means] proper nutrition. I believe it.”