Anthony Joshua explains diet secret which fulled him for Andy Ruiz Jr rematch

Anthony Joshua has revealed cutting salt and sugar from his diet helped him regain his heavyweight world titles.

Joshua was dropped four times and stopped by Andy Ruiz Jr last summer before changing his game plan to exact revenge in Saudi Arabia six months later.

Joshua overhauled his training plan before the rematch but also dropped his weight by 10lb by making subtle changes to his nutritional plan.

“I did cut out salt leading up to that fight but the food was so bland!” he told Men’s Health.

“You don’t realise how much we depend on salts and sugars. When you remove them, you realise what the true taste of food is like. It had a real benefit, though, because it stripped my body of all the excess sugar and salt I didn’t need, and I managed to lose a shedload of weight.

“Chicken and broccoli are tough when you can’t put any spice on them. Someone said to me that it’s not the chicken we like – it’s the spice and the sauces.

“That’s why I think vegetarians and vegans are onto something. We’re not meant to like chicken. They put the same sauces and spices on vegetables and get that taste and texture.”

Joshua also revealed he went back to basics when it came to his training routine as he prepared a plan to out-box Ruiz over 12 rounds.

“Training is all about what you’re trying to achieve; to prepare for 12 rounds of boxing, it sounds obvious, but you’ve got to box, box, box and that’s what we did,” he added.

“There’s not much point boxing and then spending time in the swimming pool to build endurance, because all you’re doing is building swimming endurance.

“The same goes for boxing a little bit and then spending hours lifting weights, because that’s for weightlifters. The best boxing stamina work you can do is to hit the heavy bag or shadow box. Everything that involves boxing without getting injured is the best form of training.

“It’s a simple thing that’s easy to overlook. If you want to get good at something, do that thing. Focus on it. We try to add this and that, strip it back. But you need to box more if you want to be in shape for boxing.”