ANTHONY JOSHUA is a slimmer fighter because he has stopped using dumbbells.
Watford's WBA and IBF champs felt too heavy and bound for the Wembley KO (Wladimir Klitschko) (17st 12lbs) and subsequent win over Carlos Takam (18st 2lbs), both held in 2018.
He has managed to control his weight and adjusted it to suit different opponents such as Alexander Povetkin, Joseph Parker and the Andy Ruiz.
AJ has confirmed that he is extra trim ahead of his September 25 defense against the ex-14st 4lbs champ. Rob Madden, Team AJ physio, has shared the secret to his transformation.
Madden, a Pulseroll ambassador, told SunSport that although weight is always a team decision and effort, it was more of a training adjustment.
He does a lot more boxing than he does weight lifting or strength training.
"Look at his shoulders and biceps, a lot of it comes from the heavy bag and boxing he does.
"The opponent's weight is always a factor, but he felt great at the Ruiz 2 (16st 13lbs), and Pulev (17st2lbs) weights without having to sacrifice his natural power.
"Going into the Usyk fight you can see that he is lighter than Klitschko and that he learns how heavy it feels, and he prefers to hover a little lower than that."
The 34-year old southpaw star of Ukraine has struggled with his bulk while keeping his speed and reflexes. He also missed his 16th target in October against Derek Chisora, 7lbs.
It appears that AJ will be four inches taller than AJ, with a 4in reach advantage. Also, AJ will be at least a stone larger when they clash at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.
Madden stated: "Usyk was a great boxer and the entire team has nothing but respect him. He will get all our focus and discipline. He was a tremendous cruiserweight.
"AJ will have a lot more advantages than he realizes, including power and strength in any clinches.
"AJ is already in a league all his own and against someone lighter he'll be even more dominant."
Madden, a long-standing member of the tight-knit AJ group, confirmed that everyone at the Sheffield-based camp was certain the Tyson Fury clash would happen this summer.
The WBC champ was forced to fight Deontay Wilder in a third bout. This left a long-lasting hangover which the Usyk challenge helped lift.
Madden said, "I won’t go into all of it but it was a disappointing and a headache to everyone because we were discussing it just before the legal matter was settled."
"We genuinely believed that Wilder vs Fury would happen, so it was quite shocking.
It was a strange little spot because he had that concentration and then it disappeared. Usyk is a great man who deserves to be respected.
