Joshua vs Parker: AJ in shape of his life thanks to perfect sleep… not changing his diet or training
Five months after coming in his heaviest ever against Carlos Takam here in Cardiff, AJ has whipped himself into the shape of his life
ANTHONY JOSHUA is boosting his bid to KO Joseph Parker by putting HIMSELF to sleep . . . in style.
Five months after coming in his heaviest ever against Carlos Takam here in Cardiff, AJ has whipped himself into the shape of his life.
JOSHUA VS PARKER LIVE AJ loses a stone ahead of unification blockbuster with Kiwi
Joshua weighed in at 17st 4lb — down from 18st 2lb against the Frenchman back in October.
The IBF and WBA champion is bidding to take Parker’s WBO belt at the Principality Stadium — and predicts a knockout win after eight or nine rounds.
Unbeaten Joshua, whose victory over Takam was his 20th inside the distance, believes his leaner and faster physique will help make the New Zealander No 21 in a row.
But AJ has not been on a crash diet, nor taken to spending even more time in the gym.
ANTHONY JOSHUA - 5,000 Kcal day
BREAKFAST: 5 poached eggs, fruit smoothie, smoked salmon & avocado bagel, porridge with honey.
SNACK: Carbohydrate and electrolyte gel or sports drink, pasta pot or sandwich.
LUNCH: Baked chicken breast or salmon fillets with sweet potatoes, steamed veg and salad. Yoghurt with honey.
PRE-TRAINING SNACK: Moroccan chicken with rice & kale.
DINNER: Whole skinless chicken or fillet steak, houmous, rice, avocado, beetroot and carrot salad.
DESSERT: Yoghurt with honey.
PROTEIN AND CARBOHYDRATE SHAKE: Chocolate, coconut and vanilla.
Instead perfect SLEEP seems to be the key to his transformation.
Joshua’s team shipped in a brand new Hyde and Sleep mattress to his digs in Sheffield, where he lives during camp.
And they even jetted the same bed to his fight-week base in Newport to make sure he got plenty of shut-eye before the big night.
Sports nutritionist Mark Ellison, who oversees all aspects of Joshua’s diet and lifestyle, revealed: “Before the last fight, his weight crept up.
JOSEPH PARKER - 4,400 Kcal day
JOSEPH PARKER: 4,400 Kcals
BREAKFAST: Salmon, 2 poached eggs, grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, avocado and bowl of berries and pineapple, ¾ cup of oats, Greek yoghurt, nuts, pineapple.
SNACK: ½ cup nuts, banana, 100g tuna or salmon, whole wheat waffle with cottage cheese or houmous, fruit.
LUNCH: 200g turkey, chicken, fish or beef with sweet potato or brown rice or whole wheat pasta, veg, melon.
PRE-TRAINING SNACK: Boiled egg, rice crackers with almond butter, pineapple.
DINNER: Pork/fish/steak/chicken, choice of lentils/couscous/quinoa/brown rice/mash cauliflower or sweet potato, salad.
DESSERT: Greek yoghurt, nashi pear or an apple.
“Honestly we haven’t really changed what he eats at all, the menu is still the same as ever.
“But one of the things we have been monitoring since his last fight is his sleep and his sleep wasn’t great going into the last fight.
“So for this camp we made some changes to the training schedule.
“He has been training in the morning instead of the afternoon and it’s had a big impact on his sleep.
“Sleep in the evenings has been really solid too.
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- talkSPORT is the only place you can listen to radio commentary of the huge heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker.
- Adam Catterall, Dom McGuinness, John Rawling and Glenn McCrory will be ringside at the Principality Stadium to bring you live coverage from 8pm. Listen on DAB, through Sky Channel 0108 or on .