You won’t call me a nobody after I beat AJ!
Takam insists he can shock boxing world
describes as ‘going to bloody war’ that he seems to be dozing off. He is five inches shorter than AJ and the previous occasions on which he has fought heavyweights with world-title credentials produced two of those three defeats — knocked out by Alexander Povetkin in Russia and a close decision loss to Kiwi Joseph Parker.
Venturing abroad again, to Wales, does not disturb him. He sees this as the chance to make his name. ‘I am better known in France and Cameroon,’ he says. ‘But by the third or fourth round, the 80,000 people in the crowd here will know me and like me. The British public know great when they see it. I have a chance to knock out Anthony. If I do it, my life in boxing will change big, but it will not change who I am.’
He draws on Joshua’s Nigerian heritage to explain what the impact would be in Africa. ‘In football, Cameroon v Nigeria is the big derby,’ he says. ‘We share a border. Now we have a boxing derby.’
In Britain and across the world, the size of this event is magnified by Joshua’s immense popularity. Promoter Eddie Hearn suspects he is ‘bigger than Lewis Hamilton and Andy Murray’, even though his career is still in its infancy.
He explains: ‘This fight is being televised all around the world. The broadcasting rights have been sold for unheard-of amounts.
‘You’ve seen the crowds coming out to greet him here in Cardiff. I can’t believe the diversity. Not only men, but women and kids. Normally the pay-per-view TV audience is men with women going into the other room. Now you get the feeling the wives say they want to watch Joshua, too.
‘Everyone loves him. He could box anywhere in the world now — Africa, America. We’ve had approaches from the Middle East. After the fight we’re promoting in New York, before Christmas I’m going to Dubai to see if a deal could be done there. But can they replicate 80,000 in a stadium?’
For all his fame and fortune, and away from the mega arenas, Joshua remains grounded. ‘The honour for me is going back to my local club last week and training with the kids,’ he says ahead of tomorrow’s fight. ‘British boxing is about the grass roots. This is my chance to let young boxers see what can be achieved.’
He promises this weekend’s crowd ‘fun, knockouts, a bit of blood and respect after’.
One old foe who he has beaten once in a thriller is looking to get back in on the act. Dillian Whyte takes on Robert Helenius on the undercard, hoping victory will help him get first crack at American Deontay Wilder’s WBC world title, perhaps as early as February 3.
There is no shortage of respect between him and Joshua but Whyte does say: ‘AJ is at his peak. I’m not. Look at the condition he’s in. Perfect. He’s worked hard to be the biggest, strongest and fastest he can possibly be. I’m developing and I can get bigger, stronger and faster for the big fights I hope are coming my way.’
Here in boxing’s land of the giants, they all want to be like AJ, Superman.