Nigerian-born former two-time world heavyweight boxing champion, Anthony Olaseni Oluwafemi Joshua has stepped up his training routine with some gruesome drills ahead of his long-awaited grudge fight with fellow-Briton, Tyson Fury later this year.

Sports247 gathered that, in order not to be caught off guard by the very resilient Fury during their hugely expected bout in December, Joshua has resorted to an ancient method of stretching his body to the limit, while staying in peak shape.

Joshua, who has always been known to devote himself to tough physical drills during training, is keeping himself trim for the clash with the help of an ancient stretching machine, as the countdown gets tighter towards their epic bout in Cardiff, Wales on December 11th.

With the fight’s venue eventually taken away from Madison Square Garden in New York, USA, after Joshua’s camp held firm on it holding in the UK, the London 2012 Olympic Games gold medalist wants to take full advantage of stepping out on familiar terrain.

Before Cardiff was eventually chosen, both boxers continued raising contrasting views and exchanged hostile banter but, with the issue now solved, Joshua has shared a video of himself hooked up to a modern-day version of an ancient body suspension and stretching kit.

A report by UK’s SunSport adds, “In medieval times, Slavic martial artists and warriors would use a version of the machine to strengthen their tendons and open up their joints to stay combat-ready.

“Joshua looks to be just that after having his limbs and back contorted by the gruelling apparatus. At one point in the video, AJ was suspended in the air by his arms and legs (then) effortlessly twisting his core and lower back nearly 180 degrees.”

Sports247 reports further that it us now left to be seen if the unorthodox fitness technique would be good enough not only to keep ‘AJ’ in peak shape but also build his staying power, ahead of what could jolly well be a long night in the roped square with ‘The Gypsy King.’

The Central Bank of The Gambia ordered all commercial banks operating in the country to dismiss non-Gambian employees.

In a letter dated 19 September, the central bank asked commercial banks to phase out non-citizens who are not on approved expatriate quotas by the end of the year.

The letter, signed by the bank’s Second Deputy Governor, Ousman Mendy, was addressed to managing directors of all banks operating in the country, including Nigerian subsidiaries such as First Bank, Zenith, Access, Eco, and the Guaranty Trust Bank.

The regulator also directed that the non-citizens dismissed should be replaced with qualified Gambians.

It directed banks to put clear succession plans in place quickly and transfer skills. It also asked banks to keep operations running smoothly during the transition.

According to the letter, the decision followed a meeting between the central bank and bank managing directors in August, during which they discussed concerns about the employment of non-Gambian workers in the banking sector.

The CBG said a recent industry study it conducted found that banks employ a large number of foreigners.

It added that, in addition to recruiting expatriate workers, some banks allegedly violated provisions of The Gambia’s Labour Act 2023 and Guideline 9 on expatriate staff.

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These provisions identify the circumstances under which expatriate workers can be employed and the quotas permissible.

“A recent industry study conducted by the Bank revealed that a relatively high number of non-Gambians are employed by banks, in addition to recognised expatriate staff.

“This is in violation of the provisions of the Labour Act 2023 and also not in line with guideline 9 on expatriate staff,” the letter read.

The regulator further urged banks to adhere to the country’s laws and strictly follow the central bank’s guidelines.

“You are hereby directed to ensure full compliance with the law and strict compliance with CBG’s guidelines,” it stated.