Anthony Joshua is just days out from one of the most important fights of his career, as he looks to rebuild from back to back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk against Jermaine Franklin this weekend.
Whilst ‘AJ’s focus will no doubt solely be on the task at hand, an interesting sparring story has resurfaced this week that he could have done without.
There have been longstanding rumours that Joshua had once been dropped in sparring by former British champion David Price.
Speaking to ID Boxing, the big Liverpudlian confirmed he had gone one better and had knocked the then teenager out.
“I think I’d had about six pro fights and he was double ABA champion I think.”
“I went up to Sheffield because I was on my first ten round fight, and I’d always struggle for sparring.”
I just caught him with a big right hand and down he went. He had to get helped up, type of thing, and ushered out the ring.”
“And it was no big deal to me at the time, and there was no shame in that happening to you if I hit you.”
Despite questions over his durability, Joshua has only been stopped once as a professional, when Andy Ruiz Jr shocked the world at Madison Square Garden back in 2018.
With this weekend’s fight widely considered make or break for Joshua, he can ill afford to have his head turned by sparring stories from years gone by.
Defeat to Franklin would all but spell the end to his ambitions of becoming a three time heavyweight champion of the world, with lucrative fights with the likes of Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder potentially in the offing for the end of this year.