Heavyweight boxing

ANTHONY JOSHUA is on the Rocky Marciano dull diet this week – the same boring three meals, three times a day.The 33-year-old London 2012 Olympic legend has the world of sports science and nutrition at his disposal and usually adores rich and spicy Nigerian foods.
Anthony Joshua has ditched the Nigerian food for fight weekCredit: Getty
AJ is set to take on Jermaine Franklin on SaturdayCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Credit: SUNSPORT
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
But in fight week AJ employs a throwback idea credited to the undefeated 1950s superstar, who would resort to a bland menu to make sure his stomach was settled for the Saturday night showdown.
AJ revealed to broadcasters DAZN: “It’s the Rocky Marciano diet.
“What he did was, in the week of the fight, he would have the same meals every day.
“That way your digestive system gets used to it, your stomach is not trying to break down different foods, your body gets used to what you’re eating on a daily basis.
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“So it’s the same breakfast, same lunch and same dinner.”
Marciano, a brawling American-Italian who finished 49-0 with six heavyweight world title defences, had a surprisingly scientific approach to his diet.
At just 5ft 10in and rarely much more than 13st, The Brockton Blockbuster gorged on fruits and vegetables, carried around a pot of honey to sweeten his coffee and only chewed his steaks, spitting the meat out after absorbing all the flavour and juices.
AJ – at a vastly different 6ft 6in and 17st – seems equally as dedicated but he has his team constantly around him counting the calories so he can focus on his training, sometimes even forcing him to refuel when he is shattered.
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He explained: “After a hard training session, the last thing I want to do is eat a big meal because it’s tiring.
“But the guys are pushing me to get the fuel back in, ‘come on, eat, eat, eat’.
“So I scoff it down.
“The results in the long run are that my engine can go a lot further.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is determined to become world heavyweight champion again within the next 16 months.The 33-year-old is set to face Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday night.
Joshua is set to take on Franklin on SaturdayCredit: Rex
The 33-year-old wants to regain his title within the next 16 monthsCredit: Getty
Credit: SUNSPORT
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
It will be his first fight since last year’s defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua lost his unified titles to the Ukrainian in September 2021 and failed to win them back 11 months later.
But he is eager to bounce back at the weekend in Saturday’s heavyweight bout with Franklin.
When reflecting on his previous reign as champion, Joshua said: “The thing is, I do and I did want respect from people in the industry that I admire, ex-legends in the game and when you’re not a champion any more you feel like that goes away.
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“So, that was definitely something I was yearning for, is the respect from ex-champions and when I’d lost it, it was like ‘f*** I’ve lost that invincibility’, but it’s all good.
“We move forward. I’m not really doing it for that purpose any more because I’m not in that position, but the desire?
“One is definitely to become champion, which I think is possible within the next 16 months.
“I think we’ve got to see what happens this year with the belts. Let them be competed for and then potentially let them go up in the air and then we’ll see where the belts land.
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“Then just stay consistent, stay focused on improving for these next 12 to 16 months while I’m in title contention.”
Although Joshua remains determined to reach the summit of boxing again, he has also hinted that he will consider retiring if and when he gets his hands on the belts.
He added: “This run is like, what can it go on for? Three, four years?
“If I was going to do another run after this, you’re talking about fighting into my forties and I truly believe that boxing’s a young man’s sport.
“It takes a real solid character like Bernard Hopkins, (George) Foreman, Klitschko, Povetkin to go on into their forties and stuff, but I think this is a run I want to make successful and then, you know, hopefully go out on top.” More

ANTHONY JOSHUA is dreading the prospect of negotiating another fight with Tyson Fury after seeing how the Gypsy King scuppered a historic clash with Oleksandr Usyk.Fury’s proposed undisputed heavyweight showdown with the Ukranian went up in smoke last week after months of negotiations.
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed showdown went up in smoke last weekCredit: REUTERS
Gypsy King Fury made a number of outrageous demands to Usyk before the fight fell throughCredit: GETTY
Fury’s demands have made Anthony Joshua dread the prospect of negotiating a second fight with himCredit: AP
Team Usyk pulled the plug on the April 29 bout due to a squabble over a rematch clause after sensationally agreeing to a 70-30 split in favour of the Brit.
And Fury’s antics on social media and behind closed doors have made Joshua less than excited at a second round of negotiations with the WBC heavyweight king.
He said: “I tell you what, if he is doing a 70/30 split for an undisputed heavyweight world title fight, to an already undisputed cruiserweight and unified heavyweight champion, imagine what he is going to try to offer me.
“It’s just a nightmare.”
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AJ, who returns to the ring on Saturday night against American Jermaine Franklin, is adamant his team wouldn’t be bullied by Fury.
The 33-year-old said: “When that fight happens – God willing it does – then my management and promotional team will be in my corner, they will back me, they know what I bring to the table.
“They would negotiate fiercely to make sure I get a lion’s share of what’s on the table.”
Joshua’s clash with Franklin will be his first outing since back-to-back defeats to pound-for-pound king Usyk.
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And he’s fully aware a third defeat on the bounce will spell the end of his title-challenging days.
He told SunSport: “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?’

Credit: SUNSPORT
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
“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.
“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.” More

TYSON FURY has been labelled a “diva” and slammed for “ducking” Oleksandr Usyk by former world champion Tim Bradley.Negotiations for an undisputed heavyweight clash between Fury, 34, and Usyk, 36, have broken down after they failed to reach an agreement to fight on April 29 at Wembley Stadium.
Tyson Fury has been accused of ducking Oleksandr UsykCredit: Reuters
Talks between Fury and Usyk’s teams have broken downCredit: AP
Usyk had surprisingly agreed to take just 30 per cent of the pot for the first bout, but wanted a 50/50 split in the rematch.
This was something Fury refused to agree to as the teams could not come to a mutual agreement.
And American Bradley, 39, a two-weight world champion, has criticised Fury for his part in the bout not taking place.
Speaking to ESPN, he said: “This Fury issue. He’s become a diva in my eyes, a huge diva.
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“Fury understands now that he can sell out arenas, and it doesn’t matter who he fights.
“I asked him in the past, ‘What about legacy?’ He’s like, ‘I don’t care about legacy. I care about that money. Forget the legacy.’ I feel like he doesn’t really want the Usyk fight at all.
“He will get in there with Joe Joyce or whoever it is, and he can control everything, and he can pay them a little amount of money and go from there.
“A small piece of me feels like Fury doesn’t want to fight Usyk because it’s almost like remnants when he fought against [then 39-year-old Wladimir] Klitschko [in 2015], and he won the heavyweight championships, won all the belts and then went on that downslope.
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“There was nothing else for him. There’s no doubt about it. He ducked him.
“Fury is the one to blame. I’m sick of the mess. I call this a legitimate duck by Fury, he’s ducking Usyk. He didn’t think Usyk was going to take 70/30. The goalposts got moved again, they kept getting moved.”
Last week, Tommy Fury came out to defend his brother’s actions in the Usyk clash falling apart.
And he insisted the bout between the two undefeated heavyweights WILL happen.
He told Soccer AM: “He (Tyson) does not like Usyk at the minute. Listen, there’s a lot of politics involved in boxing, but I want to say this first-hand.
“The reason why this fight isn’t getting made isn’t down to Tyson at all. He wants to fight and he’s proved to everybody… he’s gone and fought Deontay Wilder after three years out.”
He then added: “He’ll fight any man. He doesn’t fear any man, especially not a cruiserweight who can’t do anything anyway.
“You know he’s too small. What’s he going to do? It’s not Tyson’s fault. I think all of these fights will happen, but it just takes a while to get made.”
Tim Bradley is not happy with Fury’s recent anticsCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

ANTHONY JOSHUA will enter the ring this Saturday knowing it could be his last big fight.The 33-year-old lost his WBA, IBF and WBO world titles in back-to-back defeats by Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua knows he cannot afford to lose on SaturdayCredit: AP
AJ was stunned by Oleksandr Usyk twiceCredit: AP
And he has been struggling to sell out London’s O2 for a comeback against American Jermaine Franklin, 29, on Saturday — after six years of packing out stadiums.
Joshua, working under new trainer Derrick James, needs a polished win to get back in the mix with top heavyweights like Tyson Fury.
He agrees with promoter Eddie Hearn that this is his last chance of a rebuild.
Joshua said: “I think Eddie’s right. Because how long can this run go on for, three or four years? And you know how quick time goes.
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“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 believe boxing is a young man’s sport.
“It takes a real solid character like Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, Wladimir Klitschko or Alexander Povetkin to go on into their forties.
“But this is a run I want to make successful and then, hopefully, go out on top.”
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Joshua is on his fourth trainer in three fights after decade-long mentor Rob McCracken got the axe following the first Oleksandr Usyk loss, then Angel Fernandez and Robert Garcia failed to gel.
He admits he lost his way in trying to outfox Usyk, 36, and made mistakes in appointing two coaches to do one trainer’s job.
He explained: “It was difficult for Garcia in that camp because he was working alongside someone and he let them be one of the lead voices.
“Angel Fernandez brought on Garcia, he brought him on as like a main assistant, someone with more experience.
“With Derrick James, he’s the main guy, the main voice, so that’s the difference really.
“I’m speaking directly to Derrick. With Angel, it was like, ‘Speak with Angel, speak with Garcia, speak with Garcia, speak with Angel’.
“I was searching for improvement, the fact that I was amateur for three years, then within those three years, you’re talking ABAs, Europeans, Worlds, Olympics.
“Pros, British title, world title, it was always just preparing for a fight.
“So what’s happened now, even though I was winning, I was always like ‘s***, I need to get better because I’m fighting Dillian Whyte, he puts up a bit of resistance, I fight Klitschko, he puts up resistance’.
Credit: SUNSPORT
🥊 Anthony Joshua vs Jermaine Franklin – Date, live stream, TV channel and all you need to know about heavyweight bout
“I started realising that I needed to improve as a boxer.
“So I got on a search and I feel like this coach now is not trying to make sure everything’s perfect.
“He’s like, ‘Just do the right things at the right time — basics, basics, basics’.
“Do the right things at the right time and you’ll be victorious.”
Joshua is angered by how pundits turned on him following consecutive defeats by Ukraine hero Usyk.
But the meltdown he suffered in the Saudi Arabia ring after the Usyk rematch marked a line in the sand where he will no longer hide his emotions.
He added: “It’s been a great run. It’s not a level where I’m expecting a certain amount of love and respect.
When I lost, I was like, ‘F***, I’ve lost that invincibility’
“I did want respect from people in the industry that I admire, legends in the game. And when you’re not a champion any more you feel like that goes away, so that was definitely something I was yearning for — the respect from ex-champions.
“And — when I lost it — I was like ‘F***, I’ve lost that invincibility’.
“It’s all good, we move forward. Obviously, on the night, that was probably not a side people see from me every day, but it is what it is, that’s what’s in me. And if you watch me long enough, you’re going to see all types of s***.”
A new training technique in Texas will lose AJ the Green vote — but he joked old-school sessions are worth the wrath of the eco-warriors.
He explained: “At one stage of my career I believed that strength and conditioning was a massive part of boxing.
“Now I’m a bit wiser and I’ve gone through certain things, I understand that there’s out-of-camp conditioning and there’s in-camp conditioning.
“I was looking at the old-school techniques, how people used to train, and chopping wood was a big part of so many fighters’ regimes.
“It makes great Instagram content, as you’ve seen, so maybe you’ll be seeing a bit more of that, chopping wood is a great exercise.
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“Obviously the environmentalists aren’t too happy because we need to save our trees.
“But — at the end of the day — I’ve got to kick someone’s a*** and that’s what matters to me.”
Jermaine Franklin is hoping to stun AJ at the O2Credit: Romain Maurice for The US Sun More

MOSES ITAUMA wants tougher challenges after racing to two wins inside a minute and still feeling rubbish.The 18-year-old heavyweight’s first two pro bouts were gone in 60 seconds.
Itauma’s first pro heavyweight bout against Bode ended in just 23 secondsCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
The 18-year-old made his debut in JanuaryCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
On his January bow he only needed 23 seconds and Saturday’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Telford turn ended inside 35.
The ruthless southpaw returns on April 15 on the Joe Joyce vs Zhilei Zhang undercard.
And he wants to put a proper shift in as he aims to smash Mike Tyson’s record as the youngest ever heavyweight world champ.
The deadpan teen terror said: “I am not really getting to show what I can do because my opponents are not standing up to it.
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“I know it’s a process and a learning curve but I want to step up to six rounders now and better opponents.
“It’s difficult to match me, I understand that, even this guy was a late replacement for someone so I’m grateful he stepped in and kept me on the card.
“But I don’t want to be fighting bin men.
“I learned plenty in the amateurs, I learn every day in training and sparring, what I need now is rounds in the ring with the added pressure of a crowd and the small gloves.
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“I’m not blaming anyone, at 18 and without any titles I am a high-risk-low-reward fight for anyone.
“But I need my next opponent to stand up to a few more shots and even throw a few back.” More