Talking Heads Alastair Campbell meets Anthony Joshua
Defeat taught Anthony Joshua some hard lessons. But it also made him mentally stronger – more strategic, more disciplined. He understands now that interrogating his mindset is crucial to success, as much as physical prowess. Here, with Alastair Campbell, he talks pain, Fury and legacy
I enjoyed talking to Anthony Joshua so much, I wanted to do it again. First up was his appearance on The Rest Is Politics, the interview podcast series I do with ex-Tory minister Rory Stewart. Joshua wanted to try something different, he said, ‘because I like getting out of my lane’. That attitude is what attracted me to the idea of talking to him again, for Men’s Health, and focusing much more on mindset matters. It went, as you shall see, to a place I had not expected, as he explained his plans to embark on an unusual adventure, to be alone with his mind.
Now 34, the former world champion heavyweight boxer is in the latter stages of a career that has made him rich, famous and a major sporting brand, already with his eyes on post-boxing business opportunities. But in recent times, he’s had to get used to something of which he knew very little as he climbed from Olympic Gold in London 2012 to unified world titles in 2016 – namely defeat, three of them in his past seven fights, after a previously unblemished professional record.
It has made him change the way he views boxing, and indeed the way he views life. So yes, we talk about Tyson Fury, and his frustrations at them not yet having made it into a ring together. But we also talk about the meaning of money, the meaning of life, the joy he gets from inflicting pain on an opponent and his desire for a better relationship with God. Oh, we talk about death, too, which is partly why he is thinking about God. If you’re hoping for a standard sports interview with a standard sports star, look away now…
AC: In your life and your career, how do you see the balance between the physical and the mental?
AJ: I used to think it was all physical. Wake up, get on with your day, train. After losing fights, you question yourself and start realising the mental side is as important.
AC: So you didn’t have that before you lost?
AJ: No. I put all the pressure on myself, physically.
AC: Did you have a psychologist?
AJ: No. AC: And now? AJ: Yes.
AC: What has that given you?
AJ: Strategy. I now control what I have to control. I’m more target driven, process driven, not ‘how many miles will I run?’ but my approach to a fight, when am I going to take him out?
AC: What if you don’t?
AJ: I don’t giv
