Joshua steps up training ahead Klitchsko battle

Britain’s world heavyweight boxing champion of Nigerian parentage, Anthony Joshua, has stepped up preparations for his third title defence against Wladimir Klitschko by cycling at high intensity with oxygen mask on, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Joshua has ramped up his preparations ahead of his much-anticipated fight with Klitschko in April as he looks to defend his IBF title for the third time.

The Watford-born boxer is already deep into his training schedule which he believes will put him in the best possible position to beat former world heavyweight champion, Klitschko.

Joshua took to Instagram yesterday to post a video of himself cycling on an exercise bike with an oxygen mask on ahead of his 19th bout as a professional.

The VO2 testing carried out by the unbeaten heavyweight is the single most effect way to measure cardiovascular fitness and maximise training, transporting oxygen directly to the working muscles.

The 27-year-old worked up a sweat with his team on hand to record a detailed breakdown of his current fitness levels in order for him to know where he is at heading into the final two months of preparations before the Klitschko bout

Amusingly as Joshua works out at high intensity while all wired up, he is backed up by the song ‘Wishing On A Star’ by Rose Royce.

Joshua will want to make sure he is at his physical peak when he faces Klitschko in front of a capacity 90,000 crowd at Wembley on Saturday, April 29.

Recently, Klitschko said that it will be the toughest fight of his career, as well as insisting that it will be the biggest crowd he’s even fought in front of.

“I had maybe 40,000, 50,000, 60,000 but never 90,000,” he told talkSPORT.

“It’s the toughest challenge I’ve ever had, because in a certain way he is a copy of me size-wise and he is a world champion in a professional sport.

“One Olympic champion is fighting another one, one generation is fighting another generation, so there are a lot of questions.”