IN the eye of the storm, there is calm — and during a fearful beating in an epic heavyweight contest, there is clarity and composure about Anthony Joshua.
Midway through last year’s Wembley win over Wladimir Klitschko, AJ was pummelled during round five and knocked down in the sixth.
But now Joshua’s trainer Rob McCracken has given a remarkable insight into his man’s mindset.
As the star of British boxing prepares for Saturday’s world heavyweight unification bout against Joseph Parker, McCracken bristled at doubts over AJ’s stamina after his 11th-round stoppage of Klitschko.
McCracken, 49, said: “Here’s the thing, just so we can clear it up.
“People keep saying, ‘Oh, he blows’.
“Well, he got hit with about 30 sledgehammers in rounds five and six. It’s like being in a car crash.
“Klitschko hit him on the chin with around six left hooks, clean. Normally he knocks everyone out with those shots.
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“So AJ’s sat on his stool and he said, ‘I just need a round off here to get myself together’.
“There was no thought of, ‘This is going wrong’. He thought he would get a round in, calm it down a bit, and then sort it out.
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“His will to win is like nothing you’ve seen. It’s a natural thing.
“Klitschko is just a phenomenal fighter and a phenomenal puncher.
“For Josh to weather the storm, learn from it and come back into the fight, was quite something.”
Before the Cardiff scrap with New Zealand’s WBO champ Parker, 26, McCracken was willing to make one admission, though.
In seeming contradiction to Joshua’s own line, McCracken says his IBF, WBA and IBO belt-holder was too bulky when he weighed in at 18st 2lb for his unconvincing defence against Carlos Takam last October.
McCracken added: “All the way through training, he finished each session about 17st 9lb or 10lb. You can get a false sense of security, he doesn’t usually differ.
“The week of the fight, you ease off a bit.
“He ate a couple of meals more than he should, it was a 6lb difference.”
Joshua, 28, and McCracken have been watching classic bouts, with George Foreman and Evander Holyfield two particular role models.
Ex-middleweight McCracken, who led Joshua to his 2012 Olympic gold, said: “We watch the old fighters — Foreman when he was coming through as Olympic champion.
“The way he dismantled Joe Frazier was fantastic. He set people up with the jab and then worked the angle with his feet.
“Holyfield was smaller than AJ — but some of the combination punches . . . you can always learn from the very best fighters.
“Josh is still in the middle of his career, where he totally enjoys it and it’s all an adventure for him.
“He wants to fight Parker and WBC champ Deontay Wilder because they are title holders. He wants to take on the best.”
Sky Sports Box Office will exclusively show the Anthony Joshua v Joseph Parker unification fight on March 31. Available to buy now at www.sky.com/orderboxoffice
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