The insane 4,500-calorie diet of heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua

Dina Spector

Apr 28, 2016, 19:22 IST

Nick Potts/PA Wire

Anthony Joshua before winning the IBF Heavyweight World Championship title.

New IBF world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is known for his early knockouts and gargantuan yet lean build.

The 26-year-old, who's 6'6" and weighed 244 pounds ahead of his last world title win against American Charles Martin, doesn't look like a lot of other heavyweight boxers. British rival Tyson Fury, for example, is noticeably more fluffy around the mid-region. The WBA and WBO world heavyweight champion even laughed at his own body during a recent press conference where he took off his shirt and called himself "fat."

"I don't live a strict lifestyle. I don't live an athlete's lifestyle. You couldn't call me an athlete," Fury said ahead of his July rematch with Wladimir Klitschko.

Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images

Tyson Fury rips off his shirt during a press conference.

Joshua, in comparison, is open about his heavy training routine that includes early morning runs, followed by afternoon strength and conditioning exercises, and finally boxing practice, according to an interview with Sam Rowe at Men's Health.

"I enjoy training, but it can be tough when you have to be ultra-disciplined in the run up to the fight. But, you need to make sure that your preparation for a fight is the very best it can be. Even on Christmas Day I will be out first thing in the morning," Joshua told FHM.

Joshua told Men's Health that he doesn't eat meals at specific times, but added: "I eat a lot, I eat when I'm hungry, and I try to eat clean."

The Watford-born boxer eats around 4,500 calories a day, according to The Telegraph's Gareth A. Davies, including lots of eggs, chicken, fish, and fresh vegetables.

Five raw eggs, one banana, two slices of wholemeal bread, one pot of Greek yoghurt, and a glass of apple juice might make up a typical breakfast, The Telegraph writes.

In the breakfast pictured below, Joshua told AskMen.com he had porridge as a "starter," followed by six poached eggs, toast, a bowl of fruit, and two yoghurts.

This breakfast looks more manageable.

Joshua doesn't slow down at lunch or dinner.

"I'm eating loads of spinach and broccoli, your meats like the chicken and fish and so on that's giving you all the protein, and then rice and potatoes," he told Men's Health.

Joshua doesn't binge between fights, but does indulge in dessert every once in a while.

"I love a sneaky apple crumble now and again. Only on the weekends, though, or after a fight. Yeah man, I can't help myself. Apple crumble is my weakness," he told AskMen.com.

It's not all for nothing. Joshua is a machine in the ring: To win the IBF title in April, he knocked down Martin in one minute and 32 seconds of the second round.