As a kid I wanted to be a fireman
ANTHONY JOSHUA ON LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE RING
NINE years on from first stepping through the ropes at Finchley Boxing Club, Anthony Joshua is the unified heavyweight champion of the world, having stopped the great Wladimir Klitschko on April 29.
As Joshua, 27, prepares for the next chapter in his record-breaking career, Sportsmail visited him at his first amateur gym to get the inside track on the star of British boxing.
How do you reflect on your victory over Klitschko?
WHEN you match people with ability and both fighters are trained by good trainers, then it just comes down to character — who has the most spite, who is willing to dig deep. It just became about heart and that’s what people want to see.
Where do you believe that heart comes from?
YOU develop it. I found out on April 29 what I’m about. Sometimes you can’t come back but people still carry on. But at that moment, I decided I wanted to carry on and I found it in me to get the win.
What do you enjoy when you’re not in training camp?
I JUST get organised. I spend so much time in the gym Monday to Friday, and at weekends I’m tired so I’m chilling. So I don’t have time to do anything. Let’s say you have to pay a bill or go to the bank or go shopping, I’m in the gym from first thing in the morning until the evening, so it’s just about trying to find a way to stay on top of everyday life.
So, what is a day in the life of Joshua outside the gym?
JUST staying on top of life. I spend so much time in the gym that I’m not by my phone for hours, I’m not doing my errands, so when I get out it’s like, “All right, (I can do) the little to-do lists”. Even if it’s just going to see someone that I haven’t seen in ages, or sending a message.
What do you enjoy eating when you have time off?
I DON’T look at a menu when I’m out of camp, I just order a burger and chips. It’s always simple — a bit of apple crumble, ice cream, stuff like that. Because when you’re in camp, you really do lock yourself down. Fighters do go into that mode where they just switch off from everything and it’s just (about) preparing for the fight. You know you have 12, 10, eight weeks to get ready. So, you’re doing everything possible to leave no stone unturned.
Which three guests would you invite to a dinner party?
PROBABLY a pharaoh from the Kemet times — Egypt was the name that was given by the Romans. I think his name was Osiris. I’d sit down with Jesus because he was a real human, do you know what I mean? And (long pause) Muhammad Ali… because he was a man of religion so he prepares for the life after death and though he wasn’t born Muslim, he would have an open mind. When he died he had Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews all at his funeral and they all gave a speech. You can see he was an open-minded man.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I WANTED to be a fireman or something like that. It’s exciting — the sirens — but that was when I was about six.
What other sports did you play as a kid?
YOU know what it is, at school when you’re young, you’re full of energy and teachers make you sit down for so long. So kids that are filled with more energy and life are called the naughty kids. But they’re not, they’re just creative, they’re active. So I used sports to get out of class and do my activities. I would do cross country, 400 metres, 100m runs, representing the school at county championships. I played a bit of football, tried a bit of shot put, javelin, anything to get some time out of the class, rugby… I could have continued with football or running before boxing.
Your first memories of Finchley Boxing Club?
I REMEMBER sitting on the edge, watching all the boys train and thinking, “I could do this, this looks easy”. (But) when you come to boxing, you don’t just automatically start throwing 10- punch combinations. You stand in front of the mirror and throw a jab. You learn the basics. But it was the first time I was on my own. In other sports, I was good enough to have a bad day but still get the result. With boxing, I wasn’t good enough to have a bad day. So if I was an inch out, I would learn the hard way. Either you want to do it and give it your all, or you don’t. There is no inbetween because you get found out. It took time but I kept on working at it.
When did you realise you could succeed in boxing?
EVEN after the 2012 Olympics I knew I still needed experience. It took me a year to turn pro because even now I don’t think I’ve reached my peak. I was supposed to be going to the Rio Olympics in 2016. I was a 2016 hopeful and some of the boys (who fought there) haven’t had a pro debut yet. I have unified (the division). It’s only now I’m starting to come into myself, where I know I’m going to start getting better. Now I just need to finetune it. It’s only now I have started realising I can become one of the great British athletes.
What is the thing that drives you most in boxing?
LEGACY.
How would you like to be remembered?
THERE are so many people who have helped along the way, so you can go through everyone and help everyone the best way you can. Everyone needs a bit of support, so that’s what I want to be remembered as: Someone who doesn’t forget.
Who would you like to fight from any era?
KLITSCHKO. That was a top fight.
What about other greats, like Ali or Joe Frazier?
EVANDER HOLYFIELD or Riddick Bowe because those type of fights I like, they were just like the Klitschko fight. Ron Lyle- George Foreman (in 1976) was the same kind of fight as Klitschko, so I would like to fight those guys, but because I have experienced it I wouldn’t change it for the world, that was a good scrap. So I would fight Klitschko again, that’s why I was ready for a rematch.
Is there any aspect of training you don’t like?
THERE are two things I can’t stand. When I’ve done 15 rounds on the bag and I think, ‘Perfect, that’s me done’. And then the coach says ‘one more, one more’. Then after that he says to get in the ring. Then he says, ‘Josh you can go home on Friday, you’ve done well, you’ve had a tough week, we’ll have a light session’. But then Friday comes and he says, ‘You don’t mind staying do you? You can stay later and we can have a session’. So I don’t have a life. I’ve planned everything for Friday — my whole schedule — because I know this is my one day. And then it’s got to be dedicated to boxing again. It’s just boxing, boxing, boxing.
What’s surprised you about being unified champion?
I DON’T think I’m like a celebrity, I’m not in a role, this is real life! It’s spit and sawdust. It comes with the trappings of success but remember this is a gutter sport where you have to go to the trenches. So don’t get too comfortable in your tailored suits. Because when you step into that ring, if I get banged out in my next fight nobody is going to be patting me on the back.
How much would you like to retire undefeated?
EVERYONE loves a winner, there is nothing like winning. I could tell you now, ‘Yeah, I would love a rivalry’. But losing drives people mad, some people quit. I don’t know how I could face losing. It is great to have iconic nights. I can name fighters who have had careers, but you can’t pick out their memorable nights, they just won. You need those Ali-Frazier rivalries, they are fights that go down in history, so you do need those. But even if I was going to go through that I would still like to come out a winner, everyone does.
Joshua was helping to promote video game Destiny 2, which is released on Wednesday