Former WBA, WBO and IBF world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, has taken inspiration from Rocky Balboa in terms of his training camp for his upcoming clash against Jermaine Franklin.
The former two-time heavyweight champion posted pictures on Instagram on Monday evening of himself chopping down trees.
The pictures, which show his bulging biceps, came alongside the caption: “back to basics” and they are reminiscent of the training montage in Rocky IV, as Balboa prepares for his fight with Ivan Drago.
Joshua will not have to come up against Drago, but he does face the challenge of America’s Franklin on April 1 at the O2 Arena in London.
Having recently changed trainers, linking up with Derrick James who also works with world champions Errol Spence Jr and Jermell Charlo, this could explain the new training methods.
To train with James, Joshua has made the move over to the United States, but he insists it is not a sightseeing trip, as he said: “It is not because I ain’t seen anything.
“I’m not there for anything else, I’m a serious person so I am not there for anything else.
“Throughout my career this is probably the most serious I have taken it.
“I’m not really there to go out for coffees and talk about bulls**t, I’m there to f***ing work.”
And in terms of the motivation for his fight with Franklin, Joshua has made himself clear saying: “Money. I like making money. Straight up. Like, this is a prizefighting sport.
“I’ve been broke. My family has been broke. I know what this s*** means and I do it because I’m good at it and I hustle hard.
“When it’s all said and done no-one will care about me no more. So, I’ve got to make the most of it while I’m here.”