Anthony Joshua, bless his heart, has taken his recent humiliating defeat at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk and turned it into, wait for it… a £2,000 soul-searching saga in complete darkness. Yes, you read that correctly! After being thoroughly outboxed and embarrassed in the ring twice by Usyk, it seems Joshua thinks the best way to lick his wounds is by sitting alone, blindfolded, in the abyss of his thoughts for four whole days. Talk about extreme!
Usyk didn’t just defeat Joshua; he dismantled him, piece by piece, in a fight that had us all gasping. With Joshua’s heavyweight titles slipping from his grasp that night, along with a chunk of his boxing dignity, one can almost understand why he’d choose isolation. Almost.
Anthony Joshua's friend has now posted footage of the moment they arrived at their £2,000 darkness retreat on Monday before they went into separate huts and AJ spent four days alone with his thoughts in a pitch black room: "This is where lions are made."
[🎥 Healthy Mindset] pic.twitter.com/6ScKk0x7UR
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) October 21, 2023
In an intimate tell-all with Men’s Health, Joshua revealed his, let’s call it “unique,” recovery plan post-Usyk disaster. “Starting 16 October, it’s just me, myself, and utter darkness. No distractions, no comfort – just confronting my thoughts head-on,” he shared. The setup is straight out of a movie: “A door, a tray of food, and nothing else. No phone calls, no Netflix, not even a silly TikTok dance to lighten the mood.”
His reason for taking on this challenging endeavor? Well, it’s not just because of the punches Usyk landed on him, though that might be part of it. “I crave experiences,” Joshua explained. “The woods give me peace, but this? This is about digging deep and really meeting myself.” By the end of this four-day personal challenge, he’s convinced he’ll be the “coolest” individual around.
We’re all for a bit of self-improvement, but isn’t this a bit much? But hey, different strokes for different folks, right? Sweetie, it’s a boxing ring, not a Hollywood script! While Joshua’s busy finding himself in the dark, perhaps he should also rummage around for some new tactics to handle fighters of Usyk’s caliber. Because, let’s face it, no amount of secluded soul-searching is going to repair the professional setback that Ukrainian powerhouse caused.
Joshua’s decision to embrace the void (literally) might seem odd to most, but let’s not be too quick to judge. After all, every top-contender fighter has their unique way of coping, and this might just be Joshua’s. Whatever floats your boat, AJ!
Now, stepping out of his cave of enlightenment or whatever he wants to call it, Joshua is set to make more noise in the boxing ring. Great, we’ve missed you, but maybe next time, stick to the gym for your pre-fight rituals?
