Anthony Joshua received a significant pay cut from DAZN for his fight with Robert Helenius. Credit: Reuters/John Sibley
Boxing is said to be 90% mental and 10% physical, and given Anthony Joshua's natural gifts, it's no wonder so much attention to his recent struggles has been focused on his mindset and faith in yourself.
Indeed, Joshua's state of mind continues to be one of the main topics of discussion in sports. But now, with Joshua's team, all of whom, including bar coach Derrick James, have been with him throughout his career, they're talking about change, evolution.
The focus on the psychological side is not surprising, you attend one of the Joshua Fight Week events and get hit by drums with the best moments in a constant cycle; a series of fantastic stops, none of which have happened in the past five years. In recent years, we have witnessed a change in Joshua, now 33, from the destructive machine that was present during his first 18 fights.
Focused thinking is vital when you're as wealthy as Joshua is now, while facing the equivalent of a no-win Viking fight by Robert Helenius, called in on short notice after Vada's Dillian Whyte's “unfavorable insight.” anti-doping test.
Two things jump right into Joshua's mindset: he decided to rematch White (against the wishes of his promoter Eddie Hearn) in a dangerous fight. Had he lost, he would have risked a $60m (£47m) blockbuster with American Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia. Then, when White was removed, Joshua insisted on fighting a new opponent with a week's notice.
Joshua had to change . his last minute plans after the failure of the fight with Dillian Whyte. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Livesey
According to Hearn, Joshua received a “significant” entry fee from broadcaster DAZN. Interestingly, Joshua's opponent revealed on Saturday night that he “took six months to recover” from Wilder's knockout last October. And he meant it both mentally and physically. Fighters can be vulnerable and at times even fragile.
Joshua learned that fragility after his shock loss to nemesis Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden in 2019. There were essays on Joshua's state of mind – he was called “unfortunate flush” and “shy”.
Helenius explained, “Of course you have to overcome your fear of guns after you get knocked out, and I think I've been knocked out three times in my life. I think the first one was really bad – I was probably depressed for 2 or 3 months after that – but you really come back after it, after workouts and rounds. Part of it is mental.”
Joshua, as David Gansa, COO of the fighter's management company and operations manager of his fight camps, explains, has become “very self-centered” and “self-reliant.” improvement”.
Hansa has been by Joshua's side as a friend and colleague for over twelve years. “The whole attitude about this camp was a lot about what AJ does well, not about what Dillian Whyte would do well and what not … but about what Anthony Joshua does well, but about what Anthony Joshua can improve.
“He gets thrown a lot in his face and he’s like, ‘What’s the solution? He likes to solve problems. When White was away, he would say: “Find me a replacement, come on, talk to Derek, talk to management, talk to Eddie, don't interfere with me, I'll fight anyone…”
It definitely doesn't sound like a fighter lacking fortitude. “I would like to call it recovery. It would be stupid to act like nothing happened to throw us off course so he got back on his journey and focused on what he's doing so like I said there are so many things going on in boxing people provide opportunities, but if it's not his journey, I'm not interested. We have a plan for him and we are going to do it. He will become a three-time world champion and will do so on his course.
Joshua burst into tears. after losing to Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022. Photo: PA Photo/Nick Potts
Most important is the connection between Joshua and new trainer James, who calls himself his fighter's “big brother”. “He deserves a lot of respect. I tell you he is a real fighter and he wants to fight and he wants to keep fighting. He is also growing as a fighter, we have worked on many things together. I find him so focused, I'll tell you what. I would say mentally he's in great shape.”
Hearn finally believes we're seeing Joshua's evolution.
“The other day, he said the great thing, which was, 'I'm no longer naive fighter. In my opinion, he is not shy about weapons, he is just smarter. When Wladimir Klitschko was stopped by Lamon Brewster, he changed his style and became virtually unbeatable under coach Manny Steward. Until I see that he is actually being beaten, or I mean being beaten… I don't see a problem.
“Okay, so he's not a bigot anymore, he's not just throwing punches with his chin in the air. If he didn't win with this style, there would be problems, but he has confidence and trust in Derrick James' method.
This confidence and trust in James has changed Joshua's worldview. . Defeating Helenius will only be a small step, but it can be significant.
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