Anthony Joshua told regular sex is the key to him staying at the top of boxing

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Larry Holmes has told Anthony Joshua that regular sex could be the key to following in his footsteps as a heavyweight icon.

Holmes, 67, is widely considered as a legend of the division having won two world heavyweight titles during a memorable career which began in 1973 and ended in 2002. He beat the likes of Ken Norton and Earnie Shavers while also becoming the only man in history to stop Muhammad Ali on an infamous night in Las Vegas in 1980.

And, during a recent visit to London to commemorate Ali, the 67-year-old 'Easton Assassin' ran the rule over the latest star of The Big Men, the current WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Joshua.

Holmes, a master of the jab, likes what he sees in the young Londoner so far but did have one particularly left field tip when it comes to his staying power at the top of the sport.

“If I had to give him one piece of advice it would be this – get laid a week before each fight,” said Holmes. “You need to relax. It restores your energy and everything. You know they say you're not allowed to do that when you're fighting.

“I listened to that for a while but then found out it was all a lie and you're missing the good stuff man. He's a heavyweight, he's got to get that sh** out of him. But he doesn't want to do it everyday or nothing because that might drain him!”

Joshua is currently putting the finishing touches on his preparation for Saturday's clash with Carlos Takam at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

The 28-year-old was supposed to be facing mandatory challenger Kubrat Pulev in Wales but when the Bulgarian injured a pectoral muscle, Joshua had to deal with a late change of opponent for the first time in his professional career.

Takam, the Cameroon-born Frenchman, has different dimensions and a very different style to that of Pulev and Joshua says he now expects a 'Tysonish' opponent on Saturday night.

Holmes, who finished his career with 69-6 record, faced the real Mike Tyson in 1988 and it resulted in the only stoppage defeat of his career as the young Brooklynite dismantled his older opponent inside four rounds.

So Holmes is well placed when it comes to offering an opinion on who would have come out on top in a fantasy fight between Joshua and a prime Tyson, especially with his clash against 6ft 1in Takam looming.

“Joshua would have knocked out a prime Mike Tyson there's no doubt about it,” said Holmes. “Mike Tyson went down low and then came up and tried to throw roundhouses. But Joshua would just hit him with a straight right hand on the side of his damn chin and Mike wouldn't get up.

“I'm not taking anything away from Mike Tyson – he kicked my ass. But if Mike fought anybody who boxes behind a jab, moves out and throws punches, they would whoop his ass just like Lennox Lewis did, just like Evander Holyfield did and just like a couple of other guys too. They weren't all great fighters that beat him.

“That's why I think even Tyson at his best, Joshua would knock him out. He punches hard and he isn't going to stand there and let Mike hit him. He got knocked down by Wladimir Klitschko and got up again. That shows you he's ready to fight.”

On his own defeat to Tyson, Holmes added: “I was out for two years, I had quit boxing, I hadn't done anything for two years apart from sing with the band and travel.

“They offered me a lot of money so I said 'shit let's get it', so I went and got it. I had no doubt that I would have beaten Mike with enough training but they only gave me two months to get ready."

That fight, in Atlantic City in January 1988, was for the two titles which Joshua currently holds as well as the famous green and gold WBC belt.

Saturday night will be Joshua's fourth defence of the IBF title he won from Charles Martin last year and the first of the WBA crown he claimed by beating Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley six months ago.

'AJ' is still someway off Holmes' record of 20 successful world title defences, which is a number eclipsed by only Klitschko and Joe Louis, but the 67-year-old believes the youngster could quite realistically catch him up.

“He will be a champion for as long as he wants to be a champion,” Holmes said. “Like me, I thought I'd be champion for two years then I'd give it up. Two years passed and I thought 'OK, maybe another year'. That one went and it was 'oh ok, another year'. I just kept going.

“Somebody gives you a million dollars for beating someone up? What do you think about that? You get two million for the next one and then three for the one after that. You keep kicking your ass in the gym. That's what I tried to do – kick ass. I stayed in shape and did no drugs, I didn't let anybody bring that sh** to me – I said 'get out of my face'. I didn't drink alcohol, I didn't do anything.

“But then again, a couple of times I overdid it and trained too hard. I loved doing what I was doing but if you train to hard you're going to leave it in the gym. If you run too much, lift weights too much or box too much you can over train. You've got to take it round by round and take your days off.

“Then I learned – I took two days off a week, Wednesdays and Sundays. I didn't do anything on those days but sit around and hang out. I got laid a few times too.”

Holmes was speaking at the launch of the TAG Heuer Carrera Muhammad Ali Limited Edition timepiece