Steve Arintok, strength and conditioning coach for Glen “The Road Warrior” Johnson, says despite dropping down a weight class, the ageless fighter will be stronger than ever when he enters the ring this Saturday. Johnson will meet WBC Super Middleweight Champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch in the Super Six World Boxing Classic Semifinal at the Adrian Phillips Ballroom at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday, June 4 and televised live on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
In recent interviews, opponent Froch has said he expects Johnson to be drained somewhat because of the weight loss in going from 175 lbs to 168 for this fight.
Arintok, who is also the owner of Thump Boxing Gym where Johnson trains, disagrees strongly, explaining Johnson has made full use of modern training techniques to drop down properly.
“Glen has worked hard on his explosiveness and core strength and his muscular endurance with lots of aerobic and anaerobic training. He’s very strong at this weight, plus he’s lighter on his feet and more agile.”
Arintok says the notion that losing weight means an automatic loss of power and endurance is outdated because of modern advancements.
“When it comes to strength and conditioning, the world of boxing is behind other sports. In the old days anybody who wanted to could walk in a gym and say they were a trainer and that was it. They were in charge of the fighter’s training, exercise, diet, everything. Now you have guys who are real sports physiologists and certified coaches who do an overall assessment of the client and tailor a program to their specific needs. That’s what we’ve done with Glen to ensure he’s lost this weight without losing any power or endurance.”
According to Arintok, who has been working with Johnson (among many other boxers and MMA fighters) for about 2 ½ years, “Glen is in shape to put pressure for all 12 rounds. My opinion, he should have been at 168 a long time ago.”
