Anthony Joshua explains viral cupping therapy video that left fans baffled
Anthony Joshua has lifted the lid on the viral video of him receiving cupping therapy as he prepares for his heavyweight showdown with Daniel Dubois.
The Brit is bidding to become a three-time world champion when he faces fellow countryman and current IBF world champion Dubois at a packed-out Wembley on Saturday.
The heavyweight boxer has left no stone unturned in his preparation for the bout, which included a gruesome-looking cupping therapy session that swiftly went viral on social media.
The alternative therapy involves creating suctions on the skin with warm silicone cups which causes pools of blood to form as fluid is drawn from the area.
The practice is said to improve blood flow in the affected areas, and can help address muscle fatigue as well as reduce pain and inflammation.
While AJ accepted that not everyone was a fan of the treatment, the 34-year-old insisted that it was hugely beneficial in helping him remain fresh during training camp.
‘Everyone’s gonna have a different opinion on what cupping does. But what I use it for is to stretch the fascia,’ he told Sky Sports.
‘I am quite tight around my shoulder area, my trap area, my chest area and my area on the front.
‘The cups they pull the skin inwards and it stretches all the skin and the fascia When it’s tight, it restricts my movement and I now have to move my arm through certain movements.
‘It’s like you have pulled you skin in chest downwards and you look up. You will feel your neck stretching all the fascia. And that’s why I do cupping to release all the area I am tight.’
Having lost successive bouts to Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua has built himself back up under the tutelage of Tyson Fury’s former trainer, Ben Davison, with emphatic knockout wins against Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou in his two most recent fights.
Dubois, meanwhile, has also come back from a world-title defeat to Usyk, impressing in hard-earned stoppage wins against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.
And the 27-year-old is in confident mood ahead of the fight, claiming he plans to make break down Joshua and force him to quit on the night.