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    How Anthony Joshua changed his training and nutrition to become an ‘endurance athlete’ and now cuts a leaner figure

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    WHEN Anthony Joshua took to the scales for the weigh-in against Francis Ngannou, he cut a svelter figure.Weighing 18 stone on the nose, he appeared every inch the lean, mean boxing machine.Anthony Joshua nows cut a leaner figureCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshuaHard work in the gym as well as a strict diet have helped AJ achieve peak fitnessCredit: https://www.instagram.com/anthonyjoshua/AJ has seemingly found his fighting weight at around the 18 stone markCredit: Instagram @ anthonyjoshuaIn fact for his previous fight against Otto Wallin, he was just one pound shy of his current weight. Seemingly, he has found his fighting weight as he aims for another accomplished performance.Last year, AJ revealed he had changed the way he approached his diet and nutritional needs.He runs longer distances instead of shorter, more explosive sprints, to become more of an endurance athlete.The former heavyweight champion also spaces out his rest days and sticks to a tight regime.Read more Anthony Joshua newsWhat changedWhen he first started his pro career, he admitted he concentrated on sprinting as part of his schedule in a magazine interview done after he defeated Jermaine Franklin.100 metres and 200 metres sprints helped with his explosiveness, before graduating to 400 metres.AJ realised most fighters have that ability to erupt quick. He needed to run longer distances to become more of an endurance boxer.”When I first started out, you start off [with] 400 metres, and that’s like your 12 rounds. You start running 100 metres and you progress to 200 metres. So 100 metres, it’s powerful and explosive,” he said.Most read in Boxing”And then when we progress, I started realising, everyone’s explosive but everyone’s got endurance as well. I was like s***, I need to be explosive but I need to have endurance.Ultimate boxing rich list including Anthony Joshua, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Deontay Wilder”So I went through this massive phase of trying to figure out what’s right, what’s wrong. And I’m at a stage now where people want me to be explosive.”But, I’ve realised I would rather be able to complete the 400 metres, and still come first. I’ve now changed my training to be more of a long endurance athlete, rather than just be explosive for 200 metres and then crash.”Periodised trainingIn the interview with Men’s Health, AJ continued: “I like low rep ranges, but it’s all about phase training. So, I usually just try and do everything. I’ll be in a strength session. I’m doing jumps, I’m doing heavy weights.Longer distance running instead of sprints have helped AJ with his enduranceCredit: @anthonyjoshuaHeavy weight training is still an essential part of AJ’s tough regimeCredit: INSTAGRAM @ anthonyjoshuaAJ now prefers to periodise his training scheduleCredit: InstagramCycling is another exercise AJ uses to aid his staminaCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshuaread more sport features”I’m doing a bit of core and I’m running, so I’m not really specialising in anything. I’m getting a good workout, but certain trainers want to get bang for their buck.”They don’t have you for a long time. So what I’ve learned is to periodise my training. Like, ‘let’s get the most out of this three week or two week block and move on’, rather than, ‘let’s just get the most out of this session’.”Where do I want to be in two weeks? Or three weeks? But then I can measure my progression.”Eating rightPreviously, it was reported AJ consumed a whopping 5,000 calories a day.With the help of nutritionist Mark Ellison, who also works with Manchester United and the Olympic GB team, he consumes a varied diet.Sometimes, during a training camp, he will go vegan wanting “just fresh” food instead of meat and fish.”Food like avocado, falafel, some veg, some rice,” Joshua revealed in the build-up to his fight with Joseph Parker.For breakfast, AJ is said to indulge in porridge, eggs, fruit, and yoghurts.”Then we go on to jacket potatoes, tuna, mayo, beetroot with a handful of veg,” he has said in the past.Eating a fresh diet is important for AJ as he fuels his bodyCredit: Instagram @anthonyjoshuaAJ doesn’t always indulge in meat when he’s in a training campNutritionist Mark Ellison works with AJ on his dietary requirementsCredit: Instagram @ellinutrition”In the evening, I’ll take some chicken, rice with mashed potato with a lot of veg as well. I make sure I’ve got a lot of water and in between sessions I’ll have my protein shakes.”Taking it more seriouslyAJ now knows how to full his body properly and is taking nutrition seriously.”I just didn’t take it as serious as I do now, nutrition is so important. I used to be in the gym after a session and we would chill out for maybe two more hours.”But if you look at the time when I started training, the minute I finish, [so when] I hit my last punch, I haven’t eaten all that time and I’m staying in the gym for another two hours after I’ve showered and had a chat with everyone. Probably about five hours that I’ve had no food. I used to lose a lot of weight.”That’s another thing, I used to associate losing weight with getting fit. So I used to cut out the benefits of nutrition. But if you wanna get fit, you have to feed your body and fuel your body. It’s like a car.READ MORE SUN STORIESChiselled AJ has found the balance between nutrition and trainingCredit: Instagram / @anthonyjoshuaExpect AJ to be able to go the distance in his future fights”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 that was actually a myth that I had in my head where it’s like, oh, because I’m lighter, I’m fitter.”So, pushing myself and that [means] eating right. I believe in that.” More

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      Inside the ‘secret World Cup’ where England squad were blacklisted and ‘no one wanted to know’

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      COPA 71 is the story of women’s football miles away from the one we know today.The rise of the WSL and Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses have seen the likes of Chloe Kelly, Leah Williamson and Mary Earps become household names.
      Manager Harry Batt received a lifetime ban from football for bringing the Lionesses to a World Cup in 1971Credit: Mirrorpix
      The team became celebrities during their time in MexicoCredit: Mirrorpix
      They were mobbed wherever they travelled in MexicoCredit: Mirrorpix
      But back in 1971, with women’s football banned by the FA, England’s Lionesses were forced to compete in a women’s World Cup in secret.
      For years, nothing was known about the event in Mexico, with the FA moving to ban all the women involved in the tournament from football and the press not being interested in covering it.
      But the story of the tournament is about to have a spotlight shone on it thanks to a new documentary produced by Venus and Serena Williams called Copa 71.
      In it, we find out how a 60-year-old bus conductor from Luton named Harry Batt assembled an England team to compete in the secret tournament.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      Batt found players by scouting playing fields and parks, and managed to cobble together 14 talented female players to fly to the tournament in Mexico.
      While there was zilch about it in the UK press at the time, the women who played in the tournament spoke about the experience to the Sunday Times.
      Trudy McAffrey, 69, Carol Wilson, 72, and Chris Lockwood, 67, said they were treated like celebrities in Mexico – with paparazzi following their every move and the team being invited to lavish parties at foreign embassies.
      Lockwood spoke of how the tournament energised Mexico and described “all the young kids wanting autographs.”
      Most read in Football
      McAffrey considered throwing away all her souvenirs from the tournament – including this photograph due to the shame of the banCredit: Mirrorpix
      The team were invited to embassies in Mexico during the tournamentCredit: Mirrorpix
      It was the first time many of the squad members had travelled outside of EnglandCredit: Mirrorpix
      Although England were knocked out at the group stage it did not put a dampener on the squad’s experience, with Lockwood saying: “At the end, two children came with a plaque drawn in crayons that said, ‘You might have lost the game, but you’ve won the heart of Mexico.”
      Rather than fly home, the Lionesses were invited to stay in Mexico until the final “We were invited to a cocktail party in the British Embassy — it was a grand affair,” says Wilson, who was 19 and able to drink. “I remember seeing Leah [Caleb, the youngest member of the squad] reaching for the drinks tray — she was only 13!”
      But the story takes a sad turn when McAffrey described the squad “coming home to a nothingness” when they returned to England.
      Mary Earps, Lauren Hemp and Millie Bright given gongs as sport & music stars celebrated in New Year’s Honours list
      “Only a few weeks before, we had been playing football at a packed-out stadium,” she said. “No one wanted to know. It was bizarre.”
      The FA blacklisted manager Harry Batt for life and all the women were handed bans ranging between three months and 12 from playing football.
      The shame of being shunned by the FA led to the squad losing touch. “I think because it was banned, it made it feel like we did something wrong,” McCaffery says. “Not that long ago, I came close to just chucking my stuff [souvenirs from the tournament] away. I thought, who’s interested in this? It doesn’t mean anything to anybody.”
      It wasn’t until 47 years later that the squad were reunited after Lockwood, McCaffery and Wilson went on BBC Radio 4 and The One Show to launch a call-out to reunite the squad.
      The documentary also sees women from the Danish, Mexican and Italian teams interviewed, with many of them needing a lot of convincing to talk on the record.
      Co-director of Copa 71, Rachel Ramsay said: “The women are traumatised. The shame that they were made to feel was so intense. Many of them hadn’t even told their families they’d taken part.”
      The players were asked for autographs wherever they went in MexicoCredit: Mirrorpix
      But described coming back to ‘nothingness’ in EnglandCredit: Mirrorpix
      Jan Emms spoke of her pride at seeing the Lionesses reach the women’s World Cup final last yearCredit: Arfa Griffiths – The Sun
      As well as shining a light on the England team, the documentary highlights just how much the development of women’s football was stilted by bans on women playing football across multiple countries.
      With national teams becoming celebrities in Mexico, the final at the Azteca was a sell-out, attended by 112,500 spectators.
      Despite this being the highest ever attendance recorded for a women’s football game, FIFA only recently officially acknowledged this due to the tournament not being officially sanctioned.
      One of the members of the England squad, Jan Emms, the mother of badminton star Gail told the Sun last year that she was full of joy to see England’s Lionesses make the final of the women’s World Cup, this time in one sanctioned by FIFA.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      She said: “This World Cup final is the ultimate vindication of what we did.”
      “All 14 of us are still alive and able to see this happen. We never in our wildest dreams thought that an England women’s team would get to a World Cup final.” More

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      My cousins have played over 1,000 Premier League games between them – now I’m making my own way in non-league

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      KANE FERDINAND is cousins with three players who made over 1000 Premier League appearances between them.The Maidenhead United footballer has an illustrious family tree and is the cousin of Rio, Anton and Les Ferdinand.
      Kane Ferdinand plays for Maidenhead UnitedCredit: Rex
      He is the cousin of Rio and Anton FerdinandCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Anton, Rio and Les were Premier League stalwarts that made 1,073 Premier League appearances in total.
      And Rio, 45, was the most successful of them all – winning six Premier League titles during his time at Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
      Unlike Rio and Anton, who were both centre-backs, and “Sir Les” who played as a forward, Kane, 31, came through at Southend United as a midfielder.
      His game as a midfielder is more attacking than combative, and he dons the number 10 shirt for Maidenhead owing to his flair and eye for a pass.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      Born in London in 1992, Kane opted to represent Ireland at youth level owing to his mother’s Irish heritage.
      He represented Ireland at the U18, U19 and U21 levels but never received a call up to the Republic of Ireland’s first team.
      His career has seen him play at League One and League Two level for the majority, where he represented the likes of Southend, Peterborough, Northampton, Cheltenham and Dagenham and Redbridge.
      His National League career kicked off with a move to Woking in 2015, where he spent five years with the club.
      Most read in Football
      He is also the cousin of Les FerdinandCredit: AFP
      He then made the switch to Maidenhead, where he has made 105 appearances and captains the side.
      Maidenhead are currently 15th in the National League, and looking to stay in the division after a topsy turvy season.
      Rio Ferdinand shows off hair and beard transplant as Man Utd legend jets to Turkey to ‘fill in a couple of patches’
      They are six points off the drop zone after a 3-1 win over Altrincham yesterday.
      The victory ended a run of four consecutive defeats in the league. More

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      Meet the stunning Wags of Amazon Prime series Married To The Game, from an NFL cheerleader to a singer on The Voice

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      THE Wags of football’s famous stars have their own show.Amazon Prime’s cameras have followed the partners of Ilkay Gundogan, Jorginho, James Tartowski, Riyad Mahrez and Matt Turner for a documentary about their epic lifestyles.
      Gorgeous Sara Gundogan is one of the stars of Amazon Prime show Married To The GameCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      Sara is a model and TV host from ItalyCredit: Instagram @sarabenamira
      Barcelona’s Ilkay Gundogan married Sara in a private ceremony in 2022Credit: Reuters
      The six-part series streams from February 23, where viewers will get a glimpse into their hectic lives.
      We will see how they juggle their commitments, families and home lives while supporting their partner’s high-profile careers.
      But who are the glam stunners who Amazon Prime have chosen for the cast of Married To The Game?
      Sara Gundogan
      Gorgeous Italian model Sara, 29, met ex-Man City star Ilkay Gundogan in 2021.
      Read more Wag stories
      A year later, he popped the question before they married each other in a private ceremony in 2022.
      Sara was born in France but moved to Italy when she was young, where she worked as a TV presenter.
      She once sparked fury when she called the Manchester restaurant scene “horrible”.
      But she has since changed her tune, revealing she now misses the Rainy City after moving to Barcelona.
      Most read in Football
      Taylor Ward
      Reality TV beauty Taylor, 26, ‘secretly married’ Mahrez in 2022, according to reports.
      Arsenal star Jorginho gets engaged to stunning Wag Catherine Harding and shares intimate snaps of proposal
      She appeared in Real Housewives of Cheshire alongside her mum Dawn and former footballer dad Ashley Ward.
      Taylor was once linked to City legend Sergio Aguero, before she began dating Mahrez – who popped the question with a £400,000 ring in 2021 on a romantic holiday in Mykonos.
      They have a daughter together called Mila.
      In the trailer for the show, Taylor can be seen breaking down when Mahrez tells her they are leaving Manchester for Saudi Arabia, after he is offered a mega-money move.
      Taylor Ward is a reality TV star
      Blonde stunner Taylor appeared in Real Housewives of CheshireCredit: Instagram
      Taylor is seen breaking down in the trailer for Married To The GameCredit: Instagram @taylorwardx
      Riyad Mahrez and Taylor Ward currently live in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Splash
      read more sport features
      Catherine Harding
      Catherine, 33, is a singer and the fiancee of Arsenal ace Jorginho.
      She famously appeared on reality TV show The Voice, where she was mentored by Ollie Murs.
      The brunette beauty also had a romance with Jude Law, fathering a child with the Hollywood actor.
      According to reports, the focus of her storyline for the series will be on her wedding preparations.
      Will Catherine be a bridezilla?
      Catherine Harding is a singerCredit: @cat_cavelli
      Brunette beauty Catherine once appeared on The VoiceCredit: Instagram / @cat_cavelli_
      Jorginho and partner Catherine Harding
      Sam Tarkowski
      Sam got together with Everton and England defender James Tarkowski in 2015, when he was still at Brentford.
      Their romance has since blossomed, with the fitness buff ready to branch out on her own.
      She recently trained as a personal trainer, and has plans to open her own gym.
      However, as Married To The Game will show, the 32-year-old is dedicated to daughter Ivy, who she wants to show a good example to.
      Samantha Tarkowski met her partner James in 2015Credit: Instagram @samanthajtarkowski
      Sam shows off her amazing bikini body
      Gym bunny Sam has reinvented herself as a personal trainer
      Everton’s James Tarkowski with stunning SamCredit: Instagram @tarky19
      Ash Turner
      American Ash may have had the hardest time filming the documentary.
      She moved to the UK with husband Matt Turner in 2022, when he signed for Arsenal.
      However, she was also pregnant at the time with their first child.
      Then, just before their second child was born, the family had to up sticks to Nottingham after he was sold by the London club.
      READ MORE SUN STORIES
      Ash is a former NFL cheerleader who represented the New England Patriots.
      She is also the founder of a charity organisation called Miss Pink, which supports breast cancer survivors, families and families.
      Ashley Turner was once a cheerleader for the New England Patriots
      Glam Ash has had a tough time settling into the life in the UK
      Ash shows off her pom pom skills
      USA keeper Matt Turner poses for a snap with Ashley More

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      I starred for Man City but I now make millions selling Lamborghinis and Ferraris to the rich and famous

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      FANS of Manchester City will remember Dutch international Nigel de Jong for his combative nature on the pitch.The midfielder famously committed one of the worst fouls in a World Cup final ever to go unpunished when he launched a karate kick into the chest of Xabi Alonso.
      Nigel De Jong launched Continental Cars in 2007Credit: Instagram @nigeldejong
      The former City star studied for an economics degree while in the Ajax academyCredit: Instagram @nigeldejong
      His business focuses on selling luxury vehiclesCredit: Instagram
      De Jong counts Premier League players and shakes as clientsCredit: Instagram
      De Jong racked up 137 appearances for City after arriving from AC Milan in 2012, winning a Premier League and an FA Cup during his time in Manchester.
      With opposition midfielders letting out a shared sigh of relief when he retired from the game last year, it was interesting to see what his next move in the game would be.
      The Dutchman has made sporadic appearances as a pundit for ITV, often during major international tournaments such as the Euros and World Cup.
      And while he now works as the technical director of the Dutch national team, he still has a very nice side hustle which has been earning him money dating back to his early playing days.
      READ MORE ON SPORT
      De Jong studied for an economics degree during his time in the youth set up at Ajax and has put it to good use ever since.
      While playing for Hamburg in Germany, De Jong founded a luxury car business called Continental Cars in 2007.
      De Jong made it his mission to only sell the finest cars in the world and stocks Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Rolls Royces.
      During his playing days, he made the most of having access to a clientele of professional footballers and sourced cars for the likes of Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski.
      Most read in Football
      De Jong became accustomed to success at CityCredit: Getty
      He was part of the first City team to win the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
      He’s sold cars to Mesut OzilCredit: Instagram
      And Lukas PodolskiCredit: Instagram
      De Jong credits his business acumen to his grandfather, who was a managing director of Ford in Holland.
      De Jong said: “My grandfather was one of the CEOs of Ford in Holland and I saw closely how he developed himself as a businessman.
      “He was always on time, making sure payments were never late, paying attention to service and giving customers extra, always making sure the company and his family was stable.
      “I looked up to him, and off the pitch, I wanted to be like him. I also think his professionalism is something I carried with me as a footballer too.”
      He emphasised the importance of footballers investing in their education outside of football when he spoke to Joe, saying: “My mother always said ‘football is only part of your life, you have to develop yourself beyond that’ and I felt it was vital for me to do something for myself that wasn’t related to it.
      “Besides being a professional player, I had the dream of owning a company and when I had the money and the expertise, I made it happen.
      “God gave me the talent and the strength to become a football player, which gave me the financial resources and empowerment to improve in other areas.
      “I think it’s so important for football players to be smart with what they do with their salaries, because it can become an investment or be gone before you know it.
      The Dutch FA were so impressed with his business chops that they sought him out to be a technical director for the national sideCredit: Instagram @nigeldejong
      The footballer made millions from his venture alongside footballCredit: Instagram
      He’s encouraged other players to get the same education he did so they can do the sameCredit: Instagram
      He admits there is a temptation for young players to waste their moneyCredit: Instagram
      A sample of some of the brands De Jong has to choose fromCredit: Instagram
      “It is very tempting in our industry to live for now – to buy the expensive cars and live a flashy lifestyle – but you have to plan so you’re able to do that in future too.
      “This is an education players should get from a very early age to help them deal with the money they’ll make.”
      De Jong said not only does he deal with footballers wanting the most luxurious cars, but he has dealt with Middle Eastern Sheikhs that need motors sourced too.
      He said to Voetbal International: “Of course many footballers know where to find us,” he said.
      “But also business people, collectors, and we just have to work hard for it, it’s not that we’ve had success for ten years.
      De Jong forms a business power couple with wife Winonah, 41.

      De Jong at the launch of one of his wife’s collectionsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      De Jong’s collection would be the envy of any petrolheadCredit: Instagram
      Winonah runs her own fashion label named WINONAH which launched in 2015.
      The former midfielder now invests in other businesses with high potential.
      Speaking to Bundesliga.com he said: “Some people say footballers are thick and not bright enough to be entrepreneurs.
      “But when I see that a company has potential, I move the borders and go all the way for it.”
      De Jong now works as the Dutch national team’s technical directorCredit: Getty More

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      My dad is a Premier League cult hero and we both scored iconic goals at Wembley – now I’m making my own way

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      NOT many father-and-son combos can say they have scored game-changing play-off final goals.And not too many would say that their old man scored the better one – but Josh Windass admits his dad Dean’s Wembley winner was superior.
      Dean Windass’ Wembley volley sent Hull City to the Premier League in 2008Credit: Getty Images – Getty
      Josh emulated his Dad’s Wembley heroics 15 years laterCredit: Rex
      Windass Jr, 29, scored the only goal in last season’s League One play-off final for Sheffield Wednesday to seal promotion to the Championship.
      The attacking midfielder nodded Lee Gregory’s cross home as the final looked set to go to penalties against Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
      The goal came 15 years after his father Dean scored an iconic volley as Hull beat Bristol City to confirm their promotion to the Premier League in 2008.
      Dean then became Hull City’s oldest ever goalscorer and the second oldest scorer in the history of the Premier League when he scored against Portsmouth aged 39.
      READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
      When Josh spoke about the fact that he and his Dad had both scored crucial goals in play-off finals, he admitted to Sky Sports that Windass Sr “scored a better goal”.
      When he was asked about his Dad’s reaction to his son’s Wembley winner, with Dean watching from the stands, Josh said: “I don’t know, he’ll probably be five Jager bombs deep so I don’t know if he’ll say much.”
      When Dean spoke to The Daily Mail after the game he quipped: “I wasn’t actually because I don’t drink jagerbombs, so he obviously doesn’t know his old man, does he?”
      But he also spoke of how he was bursting with pride at son Josh’s achievement and said: “I can’t stop crying, man.
      Most read in Football
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      “I thought my crying days were over after 2008 and then he’s just gone and done it to me again. It’s just so emotional.”
      He added: “His goal was better than my volley because it was the last kick of the game. He will cause me a heart attack, the b******!”
      Wednesday have found it tough in the Championship, however.
      Darren Moore was sacked before the Owls even kicked a ball and his replacement, Xisco Munoz, was sacked last month after a disastrous start to the season that left the club bottom of the league.
      There’s also been off-field issues relating to Dejphon Chansiri with concerns as to whether staff were going to be paid on time.
      Windass has been in and out of the team this season as Wednesday look to stay in the second tier.
      He’s played ten times this season with the club still bottom on nine points after 15 games. More