Anthony Joshua has shone a light on his pre-fight preparations ahead of his clash with Alexander Povetkin in September 2018.
In a behind-the-scenes video posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday, Joshua can be seen overcoming flu, working the pads with trainer Robert McCracken and even treating himself to a bit of football.
“This has been a 10-year project,” says Joshua. “It’s still not the finished article, because where we’re trying to go is the unknown and see how far we can take it. We’re trying to conquer new territory now.”
“I had my pre-fight nap and normally I wake up feeling 10 (out of) 10. This time I woke up feeling seven (out of) 10,” adds Joshua, who was fighting the flu in the build up to the Povetkin bout.
“I tried to sleep on my way to the arena, and I had this different aura about me this training week where I just felt like I needed to be left alone, because I was in my own thoughts.”
The video also reveals a different, more anxious side to the usually calm and composed boxer the public has come to know.
In the build-up to the Wembley fight with Povetkin, Joshua admits he was plagued by fears of losing.
“All I thought to myself was ‘What happens if I lose?’
“The worst feeling. I’m ill, my back, my hip, my elbow. I was thinking ‘What are these signs?’ and ‘Should I have taken this fight?’
“If I can get through this fight and beat someone at my worst, it shows I’ve got what it takes to be on top.”
Joshua will defend his IBO, IBF, WBO and WBA titles against New York’s Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller at Madison Square Garden on 1 July.
