I’VE HAD REAL TOUGH PATH TO THE TOP say ANTHONY JOSHUA
BOXING: THE BIG WEMBLEY COUNTDOWN
ANTHONY JOSHUA is heading towards the fight that could make him one of the most recognisable sports stars on the planet. But the IBF heavyweight world champion insists he is still keeping his feet firmly on the ground. He will defend his title against ring king Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night in front of 90,000 fans. Joshua, 27, is already a star in the UK but this is the fight that will make his name worldwide, with television rights being sold to countries that have never previously shown an interest in him. It’s a meteoric rise for the 2012 London Olympics champion, who first put on a pair of gloves in 2008. But with his claims of wanting to be a billionaire and the growing number of celebrities trying to get close to him, could he end up looking down on those who helped him rise to the top? Not according to the Watford-born man mountain, who insists his Nigerian heritage will not allow him to become a ‘Big Time Charlie’.
He still lives with his mum, Yeta, in a flat in Golders Green, London, rather than some plush city centre apartment.
Training camp in Sheffield sees him staying in basic accommodation also used by his old amateur team-mates.
“Staying humble is not so much about how you spend your money or what luxuries you have, it is about how you treat people,” said Joshua.
“I speak to a tramp the same way I would speak to the president or the mayor.
Grafting
“I’m something from nothing. My parents came here from Nigeria. Back then you could make money if you had the education, but my parents had to work hard.
“They found a home to live in, didn’t understand the system in the UK. I’m first generation in the country.
“I was grafting, then I found boxing and then it’s a hustle. You naturally gravitate to the right people and I managed to negotiate my way through.
“If people accept me for who I am and that falls in the bracket of people’s champion, so be it. If not, I just have to stand for what I stand for.”
Mum Yeta will not be ringside as Joshua bans her from watching his fights but dad Jonathan will be as he remains close to the pair that keep him grounded.
That grounding means he will not rise to Klitschko’s bait, after the Ukrainian attacked Joshua for claiming he wants to earn a billion and labelled the younger man all muscle and not enough brain.
But Joshua will not fall for the former world champion’s mind games, saying: “There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a billionaire. If you have kids, you would advise them to set goals high. “Wladimir Klitschko was accused of carrying out fights to the 12th round to secure commercial revenue in Germany.
‘‘He has been accused of trying to accumulate financial gain as well.
“Maybe he is using that as a way to attack me because he has been in that situation before.
“He used to be accused of being too muscular because he used to gas after five or six rounds.
“Everything he has gone through he seems to be throwing at the young champion coming through.
‘‘I study boxing and see where he is coming from, his angles. It is important to unsettle a fighter.”
Sky Sports Box Office will show Joshua v Klitschko exclusively live. To order go to www.skysports.com/joshua