ANTHONY JOSHUA is hoping his new bed will help put Joseph Parker to sleep tonight.
The WBA and IBF heavyweight champion used to struggle to get enough shut-eye.
So his team have shipped in identical mattresses to ensure he can enjoy a nice nap when he’s at home, training in Sheffield or away on business in places like Wales this week.
“We watched Team Sky (cyclists) and what they do,” said Joshua. “They have the same bed in their training camp, the same bed at home, the same bed in competition.
“We are just trying to do the one per cents (that make a difference). They delivered a mattress to Newport this week. It is about being more professional.”
Nutritionist Mark Ellison is the man responsible for ensuring the heavyweight champion looks leaner than ever for tonight’s fight.
He also keeps such a close eye on Joshua that he even watches him when he sleeps.
Joshua needs 8-10 hours of kip at night and also naps between training sessions.
Ellison said: “We use a monitor to show us when he goes to sleep, how many hours of sleep he gets, how many interruptions.
“That’s been one thing that has significantly improved.”
Joshua is far less keen on the ice baths to aid his recovery after training.
Ellison said: “I’ve set the temperature to three, which is as low as it goes. But recently I noticed someone had fiddled with it and it was up to seven so I knocked that down to three again.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable with the ice bath.
“At first he was a like a cat, straight in and straight out again. He couldn’t last more than a couple of minutes. For me, I like him to have five minutes minimum.”
Ellison’s main job is to oversee Joshua’s 5,000 calorie daily diet.
Joshua starts the day with a smoked salmon bagel, vegetables, a protein shake and an electrolyte drink.
Lunch is chicken, sweet potatoes and veg which may be followed by snacks of fruit and energy gels before his afternoon workout.
Dinner is a double helping of red meat, such as steak, with wholegrain pasta and more veg.
“We always make sure we’re forcing the calories in to make sure he recovers and refuels well,” added Ellison. “That’s always the challenge because he trains like a middleweight.
“Our main challenge is to get the energy into him, the weight is secondary.”