ANTHONY JOSHUA has hit out at claims he’s dictated every aspect of his training camps.
In recent years, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion has been accused of man-managing his gruelling fight camps.
The claims increased after AJ handed the coaching reigns to American Derrick James following his split from Robert Garcia, in the wake of his second defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
And to say the notion of him not following the guidance of his coaches irks the Watford warrior would be an understatement.
Speaking to SecondsOut ahead of his clash with Jermaine Franklin, AJ said: “People talk so much s*** about me, it’s crazy. It’s crazy.
“If I’m someone that runs [the training camps], like what you said about, am I being myself now? I just always keep it 100.
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“If I’m someone that runs my camp, I’m not gonna change that. I’m a two-time heavyweight champ of the world.
“Why am I gonna change that? Why am I gonna go to Derek [James] and be like, ‘Yeah, everything I’ve done, forget it. You go and take [the] lead.”
AJ upped sticks to Texas to train with renowned coach James for his crucial comeback bout with Franklin and insists he’s fully immersed himself in his new trainer’s school of thought.
He said: “I’ve always let my coach lead, whatever he thinks he should do, [I’ll do]. Ask Derek.
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“The only thing I’ll dictate on is me wanting to do more.
“That’s probably the only thing I’ll ask him to do.
“‘Oh, can we do one more round on this? Can we do one more round on that?’
“I’m not dictating, writing out a programme at eight o’clock at night when I should be in bed resting.
“It’s like – people talk a lot of s**t about me.”
Joshua’s clash with Franklin will be his first outing since back-to-back defeats to pound-for-pound king Oleksandr Usyk.
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And he admits defeat to the American could be curtains for his career, saying: “How long can this run go on for, three or four years?
“And you know how quick time goes.
“We’re saying this now and we can look back in two years, three years, and be like f***ing hell where’s the time gone?
“So, if I was going to do another run after this, you’re talking about fighting into my forties and I truly believe that boxing is a young man’s sport,
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“It takes a real solid character like Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin, to go on into their forties.
“But I think this is a run I want to make successful and then, you know, hopefully, go out on top.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
