After Living in Pitch Dark Room for 4 Days, Anthony Joshua Shares his Spiritual Retreat Experience

Anthony Joshua has been in the ring just four times in the last three years. His latest bout against Dillian Whyte fell through just days before fight night after the latter tested positive for banned drugs in the VADA test. On the desperate lookout for an opponent, his promoter, the much-abled, Eddie Hearn landed him a fight against Robert Helenius. A fight much in favor of Joshua, the fighter came out victorious through a knockout at Greenwich’s O2 Arena.

After his easy win over Helenius and a fight against Deontay Wilder on the horizon, he embarked upon an atypical retreat that raised the eyebrows of many. As he awaits the Wilder fight’s date to be finalized, he splashed £2,000 to sit blindfolded in a dark room in chase of inner peace. Now that he’s out of this unique experience, here are some details that he revealed.

Anthony Joshua finds peace in the dark

After he wrapped up the Helenius fight, he quickly entered negotiations with Wilder to decide on a comfortable date for their fight. But with prospects of it looking over for sometime in March, he might have to land another interim fighter for the winters. Amidst this chaos, he thought it would be good to spend some downtime finding himself. And it was the dark that he thought would help him.

In a conversation with Men’s Health, he explained, “I’m about to do something, on 16 October, I’m going to a place for four days where I will be on my own in total darkness, pitch black for four days. At the time it will be the worst thing ever, but then I think when I come out, I will say I wish I had done more.” 

Why would he choose this novel sort of experience? He says, “Life is all about experiences. I want to have more character and go through more experiences. I’m doing it for character. If I go for a walk in the woods, enjoy the scenery, the birds chirping, I’m going for peace. In this, though, it’s just me and my mind.” The program includes him spending four days in a pitch-dark room, with a door through which he gets his food. The experience cuts him off from any technological interaction, including phones, audiobooks, and radio.

An update on AJ vs. Deontay Wilder

Both AJ and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ have spent the majority of this year in negotiations for their upcoming fight. Despite the heavy conversations between them, there has been no concrete date announced for it. But now, Hearn has come out with some clarifications. According to him, the Saudi fight, a multi-million dollar affair, was financed by Saudi Skill Challenge.

The promoters had big plans for the fight, however, they’ve been hurdled by Saudi’s General Entertainment Authority. While navigating through such issues, it seemed like that fight would take its course sometime in December or January. But now, clearing the air, he said, “So now we’re looking at it, myself and Shelly [Finkel] continue to talk, but we look at Vegas and we look at some people making offers, some people wasting time against out in the Middle East, but we have to explore those options. So all I can tell you is January is definitely not happening.”

Also Read: Amid Deontay Wilder Negotiations Fiasco, Eddie Hearn Teases Anthony Joshua’s Next Fight

When the fight date is decided, the realm will turn its attention toward the much-awaited Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder clash. The only question that remains is if it will take its course in all the glory that Eddie Hearn has been chasing and promised. What are your thoughts on AJ’s method of recuperation? Let us know in the comments section below.

Watch This Story: Everything We Know About Deontay Wilder Vs Anthony Joshua