Me’ – one boxer’s claim to fame
urements of his own physique, after seeing Joshua in the flesh for the very first time.
“I’d seen him at the Olympics but never in person,” Darch explained.
“I’d always thought of myself as being 6ft 3in, but seeing him made me realise I’m actually 6ft 2in!
“I’d also never thought of myself as fat or anything but I just couldn’t believe how a guy that big could basically weigh the same as me. There was only a pound between us!
“The other thing about him was how respectful he was. I only saw him when the press were there but he was sound.”
In the ring, however, Joshua, understandably, was a different animal.
He showed the speed and strength that have brought him to where he is today in a ruthless demolition job, resulting in a second-round stoppage.
Yet, despite that, Darch was pleased, surprised even, with how he fared against the Londoner – especially in the early exchanges.
“I actually started all right. I was making him miss, which isn’t something I normally do.
“I normally just go in there and have a bit of a scrap. For two and a half minutes I was making him miss and it was all OK.
“Then he caught me and my head was like a pinball.”
He adds that the second round started in similar vein, with Darch forcing his illustrious opponent to miss with a few more jabs. But after just 45 seconds he knew it was over when Joshua caught him in the temple with a left. After the fight, he mused: “I didn’t go there to lie down but he was in a different league to me, and you could tell he lives in the gym, while I organise my training around my job. “He was too good, too big and too strong and I hope he goes on to become a world champion one day. “It would be nice to say that you’ve been beaten by a world champion.” And, of course, Joshua has gone on to achieve just that – meaning Darch is indeed able to tell people he was beaten by a world champion. “I’ve got a daughter and it’s a nice thing to say to her one day that I fought the world champion and he didn’t knock me down – I’m not sure Takam will be able to say that!” It’s that final point that Darch is most proud of – the fact he is the only fighter to have not been dropped by Joshua as a professional taking pride of place in his Twitter bio. Don’t miss all the latest local sporting news in this week’s eight-page pullout inside.