MAY 2017 35a big man in prime
shape, Joshua’s
daily gym sessions
would leave MOST
out for the countYOU THINK ABOUT THE FIGHT BUT
THE BATTLE’S MORE WITHIN MYSELF
Though they might pretend not to be,
everyoneintheroomiswatching.Acouple
ofskinnyyoungguysonthelatpulldown
machine look on forlornly as he works
through TRX body saws, pikes and inverted
rows. A barrel-chested, keg-bellied
powerlifter, waddling proudly to the water
fountain, sneaks a sideways glance at the
heavyweight champion, crab-walking with
minibands around his knees and ankles to
activate his glutes. He pounces through
speed skater squats like a big cat.
Meanwhile, Joshua is watching Joshua.
OntheTVscreensaroundthegym,Sky
SportsNewsisabuzzwithupdatesonhis
upcoming megafight with Wladimir “Dr
Steelhammer” Klitschko, a modern great
whoholdsthedistinctionofbeingthe
second-longest reigning heavyweight
champion of all time.
The distraction is short-lived. As the other
inhabitants of the weights room continue with
their curling, rowing and pressing, Joshua
performs increasingly heavy trap bar
deadlifts.BythetimehesitsontheWattbike,
whichmeasurespoweroutput,he’sbeen
working out for the best part of two hours.
That’s not counting this morning’s training
session,ofcourse,forwhichheleftthehouse
at 8am before returning at 2pm.
ReynoldspullsoutanotebookasJoshua
plugs in his headphones and starts pedalling.
Grunting, he goes deep into the pain cave
and shatters his times from the previous
session. He gasps for air to neutralise the
lactic acid burning in his quadriceps; nearby,
gym-goers plod on treadmills, barely
breaking sweat. The session is over.
CORE VALUES
It’snowpast9pmandJoshuaneedstoeat.
Showered and changed, he givesMHaride
backtohisplace.Ifyouwereexpectingthe
kind of mansion occupied bySouthpaw’s
BillyHope,youmightbesurprisedtolearn
thatJoshualivesinamodestex-councilflat
with his mother and niece. “I can’t get too
comfortable,” he explains, sitting shirtless
onamassagetableparkedinhisfrontroom.
“AllIneedisaplacetorestmyhead...
At the minute, I’m managing pretty well.
Everyone’s happy.”
Joshua certainly seemed happy during
tonight’s session, as opposed to looking like
... “Like I’m gonna kill someone?” he finishes.
“No.Youthinkaboutthefight.Butthebattle’s
morewithinmyself,togetbetterthanwhereI
wasinmylastcamp,mylastsession.Andin
betweensetsorintervals,Iliketohavealaugh
andajoke.ItbuildsaconfidencethatIamfit,
that I can go through the pain and have fun
whileI’mdoingit.”
Indeed,therearesomewhoaccuse
Joshua of spending too much time in the
gym, deriding him – presumably when
safelyoutoffist’sreach–forbeingmore
bodybuilder than boxer. Fellow UK
heavyweight Tyson Fury once remarked that
Joshua resembled “a pumped-up weightlifter
outofhismindondrugs”.(“Idon’tknowwhat
elseIshouldbedoing,”countersJoshua.)
Infact,Joshua’sgeneticgiftsareadouble-
edged sword: his height and frame give him
reach, but those long levers make it harder to
generatepower.Evenso,hethrowsapunch
that,tostealaphrasefromveteranboxing
writer Kevin Mitchell, “would have decapitated
abull”.That’stestamenttoJoshua’sgym
work, particularly on his core, which transfers
powerfromlowerbodytoupper.“Cutyour
armsandlegsoffandyou’releftwithatrunk,
which you need to be as strong as possible,”
hesays.“That’swhywework everything from
the calves to the neck.”PLAN OF ATTACK
Ofcourse,boxingisnotsolelyacontestof
physical condition – otherwise Joshua would
alreadybeundisputedchampion.“Fromthe
neckupiswhereyouwinorlosethebattle,”
hesays.“It’stheartofwar.Youhavetolock
yourself in and strategise your mindset. That’s
whyboxersgototrainingcamps:toshut
down the noise and really zone in. If I canMUSCLE +
FITNESS