Anthony Joshua opens up on advice from Cristiano Ronaldo that led to ‘proudest moment’ of his career

Cristiano Ronaldo has been an influence on Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua has revealed the unexpected proudest moment of his career as a boxer, which came after he acted on advice from Cristiano Ronaldo. The British heavyweight is preparing to light up Wembley when he faces Daniel Dubois in an all-Brit bout with the IBF World Heavyweight title on the line.

Ronaldo has shown over the years to be a larger-than-life figure, with his impact greatly felt across the world of sports. Now 39, the forward plies his trade in the money-spinning Saudi Pro League these days, and this was where he crossed paths with Joshua.

Anthony Joshua faced former UFC champion Francis Ngannou in a showdown in Riyadh, which he won by knockout back in March. After the fight, he shared a moment with Cristiano Ronaldo, who was in attendance, and they spoke with each other. TNT Sports asked Joshua about the details of the conversation between the duo, and he obliged.

The former Olympic gold medallist revealed that he spoke with Ronaldo about his feeding and training regimen, and pointed out that it worked. He also pointed out that he felt that getting seven hours’ sleep when he followed the advice was his ‘proudest moment to date.’

“The regimen he keeps in order to keep himself healthy. And to be fair, look at that, [I got] seven hours’ sleep after following some of his recommendations!”

Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will not have Cristiano Ronaldo in attendance when he takes to the ring against Dubois on September 21. The 34-year-old star believes he will emerge from the bout with the belt on Saturday.

Following a couple of disappointing defeats to Andy Ruiz Jr and Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua appeared to have lost his touch. He is now back, aiming to become a three-time champion, and has recorded successive wins against Robert Helenius and Ngannou by knockout.

Cristiano Ronaldo doubtful for first game of Pioli era

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo is a doubt for his side’s game against Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ettifaq on Friday. The 39-year-old will see his side play a match under the tutelage of Stefano Pioli for the first time.

Al-Nassr struggled in the first three games of the campaign, picking up five points from nine available despite Ronaldo featuring. The Portugal international missed their last game, an AFC Champions League game against Al-Shorta, due to illness, and is yet to be back fit, as per Sportsmole.

Stefano Pioli replaced Luis Castro this week after the Portuguese manager led the side to a draw in the Champions League. The former Botafogo manager failed to win a single major trophy in his season in charge of the club, and they will have Pioli in the dugout against Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.