As if Anthony Joshua’s toughness was ever in question…
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that ‘AJ’ has a clean bill of health ahead of his title defence against Carlos Takam on Saturday.
Last week, Joshua was reportedly “pissed off” when he discovered that original opponent Kubrat Pulev had pulled out of the Cardiff clash, citing an injury.
But if a broken back wasn’t enough to keep Joshua out of a fight then a change of opponent certainly wasn’t going to and he’s agreed to alter his strategy ever so slightly as he takes on late replacement Takam at the Principality Stadium.
Speaking about his track record of battling through the pain barrier, Joshua has revealed what he’s had to come through for previous bouts.
“I fought Michael Sprott with a fractured back, just crack on,” the London 2012 gold medallist told BoxingNewsOnline. “Rob McCracken doesn’t like it. He says, ‘You have to listen to me, Josh, if I ever have to pull you out of a fight…’
“But you build up so much to this one moment and because of a niggle you’re going to let it go? But when you’re in there the adrenaline takes over anyway. I don’t think, touch wood, unless it was serious, serious, I don’t think I’d stop.”
Joshua initially kept quiet about the back problem he was forced to fight through, unlike Mike Tyson.
And that was not the only case of injury almost derailing a bout for Joshua .
The 28-year-old also revealed how a trip to a massage parlour forced him to finish his training camp at less than 100 per cent ahead of the biggest fight of his life, April’s Wembley showdown with Ukrainian legend Wladimir Klitschko.
“Two weeks before the Klitschko fight I went for a Thai massage and she stretched me,” ‘AJ’ added.
“She pulled my arm down my leg and it cramped my back. I swear, I was walking doubled over.
“That was two weeks before. But we crack on. Now if I get a massage I don’t let them stretch me!”
