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To the outside observer, there’s a tremendous difference between athletics and boxing, let alone running and boxing. The focus of the big events of boxing is combat. One person trying to beat the other with their fists in as little time as possible, it would seem. In running, it’s all about pacing, endurance, and ensuring that you keep your mind in the right place throughout. Both are athletic solo sports, but the way they’re enacted seems very different.
However, as we’ve explored with former Commonwealth middleweight champion Tommy Langford, there’s actually a lot of crossover if you’re doing it right. He cited timings, anaerobic, and aerobic systems as being very similar, with particularly track work being key to his fitness and sharpness. In turn, having that kind of endurance allowed for the reaction speed, movements, and explosiveness to remain tip-top.
Running at the core of boxing
The primary benefits of running are that it’s constantly activating key systems that are beneficial in just about any sport that requires an output of energy. The respiratory system, muscular system, and cardiovascular system are all in play, while increasing the capacity for your lungs and heart to function efficiently. It’s all about boosting your endurance, and as a bodyweight exercise, you’re constantly getting more accustomed to taking that weight while exercising.
Runners are incredibly fit from a cardiovascular and endurance standpoint, and that’s what all of the top boxers invariably seek to tap into. While you likely won’t see a world champion running a dramatic marathon in London or vying for long-distance titles, you can always see them leaning on running as one of their pillars of a training camp and just to keep fit between bouts.
The prime example of this is two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. He’s lined up to face Daniel Dubois on 21 September and is the heavy favourite, as of 31 July, to win the bout at 1/5 in the sports betting. A big part of this is his notoriously rigorous training regime and his sheer athleticism. Regardless of what interview you read or what video you watch on his training, Joshua notes his roadwork – what boxers call running.
It’s his dedication to running that allows him to remain powerful and, increasingly, agile throughout a heavyweight bout. He says that he gets his road work done first thing to tap into fasted cardio before breakfast on days that he’ll have gym sessions…
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