{"id":347968,"date":"2025-12-16T02:06:14","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/347968\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T02:06:14","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T02:06:14","slug":"mischievous-teen-to-commercial-giant-but-anthony-joshua-not-finished-yet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/347968\/","title":{"rendered":"Mischievous teen to commercial giant but Anthony Joshua \u2018not finished yet\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Finchley Amateur Boxing Club is the closest the public can get to the real Anthony Joshua. An Olympic gold medallist and a two-times world heavyweight champion with a net worth nearing \u00a3200million, he soared into the mainstream like no British boxer before him, while always maintaining a carefully curated image that even a Louis Theroux special struggled to penetrate. <\/p>\n

But in the gym where he first laced up a pair of gloves aged 18 and photographs of the lanky latecomer adorn the walls lies a treasure trove of memories about a polite but mischievous prodigy.<\/p>\n

Sean Murphy, Joshua\u2019s first amateur coach, who remains a close confidant, is guilty of supplying most of them. Take the time Joshua<\/a>, who went from novice to national champion inside three years, introduced one of his girlfriends to Murphy\u2019s wife before the morning training session. \u201cHe came back later on for the second session with a different girl on his arm. He went over to my missus again and she said: \u2018Josh, you better f*** off or else I\u2019m going to tell that young lady who you were here with earlier,\u2019 and he went away with a tail between his legs,\u201d he says, laughing. <\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Joshua defeated Italy\u2019s Roberto Cammarelle to claim Olympic gold at London 2012 but almost didn\u2019t make Team GB after an arrest for cannabis possession<\/p>\n

SCOTT HEAVEY\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

Or the prestigious awards do where Joshua won the prize for best amateur. He told Murphy he didn\u2019t drink and was heading home at midnight. \u201cWe were driving back through Finchley and there was a queue outside this nightclub and who\u2019s standing there? Anthony Joshua. He was trying to put his head down. I rolled down the window and said, \u2018I didn\u2019t realise you lived here!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Not to forget when Joshua was caught red-handed at a roulette table at 2am with his cousin on a trip to Las Vegas the night before an international tournament. \u201cEveryone was looking at me. This little fella telling these two huge fellas to go to bed [on the casino floor]. They went, but then my missus followed them and caught them as they tried to come back down.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, it was not all harmless teenage fun. It was only years later Murphy discovered that when Joshua first attended evening sessions at Finchley, he was wearing a tag and had to rush home to ensure he didn\u2019t breach his 8pm curfew. More than once Murphy received calls from Joshua\u2019s mother, whom he lived with in a two-bedroom council flat in Golders Green, asking him to make sure that her son returned to training because he had fallen in with the wrong crowd. <\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

From left, coaches Murphy and John Oliver with Joshua at Finchley ABC<\/p>\n

When Joshua was pulled over for speeding and arrested in his GB Boxing tracksuit after officers discovered nine ounces of cannabis in his car in 2011, it was Murphy who connected Joshua, via a local charity, to a specialist lawyer and helped ensure that he avoided a prison sentence.<\/p>\n

It is worth revisiting that turbulent grounding in the sport \u2014 Joshua nearly missed the 2012 Olympics due to his conviction \u2014 to put his career into perspective 18 years later. Despite suffering a brutal defeat<\/a> in his last bout against Daniel Dubois in September 2024, Joshua\u2019s star power has hardly diminished. <\/p>\n

This week he stands to earn in excess of $50million (more than \u00a337million) for fighting Jake Paul, a former Disney star who he should beat in first gear. Purists have criticised Joshua for taking the bout but as his promoter Eddie Hearn says: \u201cWe got a phone call and were asked to fight Jake Paul in an eight-rounder for a near career-high payday. There isn\u2019t a man alive who wouldn\u2019t take this fight. Do I think AJ is going to knock him spark out within two rounds? Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/p>\n

Joshua, right, is expected to make light work of Paul, left, who has only fought one heavyweight \u2014 a 58-year-old Tyson<\/p>\n

EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI\/GETTY IMAGES FOR NETFLIX<\/p>\n

And so to query how it ended up here would be like the man that imposed on George Best as he lay in bed with Miss World, but Hearn concedes that Joshua may not have accepted the fight as readily five years ago. There is a public tendency to be hypercritical of Joshua, a narrative that he was eventually exposed as overhyped, but that was in large part because of how quickly he became a juggernaut. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s perfect. One: he\u2019s a great fighter. Two: he\u2019s carved out of stone. Three: he\u2019s a lovely fellow with a great heart,\u201d Hearn says. \u201cPeople can say, \u2018Anyone can promote Anthony Joshua.\u2019 Yes, to a level, but the way we manoeuvred him and built him as a fighter and a commercial beast in the sporting world was one of our great achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Paul, left, and Joshua face off before the fight on Saturday<\/p>\n

ANTHONY JOSHUA\/X<\/p>\n

The dramatic night Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in 2017 to become unified heavyweight champion was one of the most iconic in British boxing history. But, in hindsight, it also exposed the frailties that a short, albeit extremely successful, amateur career and shrewd matchmaking as a pro had not yet tested. <\/p>\n

In what was supposed to be Joshua\u2019s breakthrough in America, he was stunned by late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden in 2019. Although he avenged the loss six months later in one of the first big boxing fights in Saudi Arabia \u2014 Joshua\u2019s brand was already so ironclad by then that criticism from human rights groups washed off \u2014 he was arguably never the same. <\/p>\n

\"Andy<\/p>\n

Ruiz upset the odds at Madison Square Garden in June 2019 ended Joshua\u2019s unbeaten record<\/p>\n

AL BELLO\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

\u201cWith fighters, the way I like to put it is when you have a glass and there is a crack, you can polish it, but it is always going to be there,\u201d Angel Fernandez, who joined Joshua\u2019s coaching team after the Ruiz defeat, says.<\/p>\n

The chopping and changing of coaches is the clearest evidence of the uncertainty that has engulfed Joshua in recent years. Rob McCracken, the head coach at GB Boxing, had been the voice in Joshua\u2019s corner for a decade until Fernandez joined the team. In Joshua\u2019s first bout against Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, the instructions appeared muddled as he sought to outbox Usyk, one of the most technically accomplished fighters in modern history, instead of imposing his size. <\/p>\n

McCracken was sacked before the rematch, a divorce that remains awkward to this day, and, although Joshua was significantly improved, Usyk remained superior, prompting the unedifying outburst when Joshua threw the belts out of the ring before ranting incoherently about his shortcomings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know people say, \u2018It was a bit embarrassing in the ring.\u2019 But for so long, AJ, he wasn\u2019t putting on a front, but he feels an obligation to behave a certain way because he\u2019s a role model,\u201d Hearn says. \u201cHe\u2019s an ambassador for kids and he wants to be that person. <\/p>\n

\"Boxing<\/p>\n

Hearn, left, was at the press conference in August 2022 when the defeated Joshua broke down after his defeat to Usyk<\/p>\n

NICK POTTS\/PA<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he broke down in tears [in his post-fight press conference], you never really see that, which is a reflection of the general problem among men that is well documented. He never put that guard down because he wants to be positive. That was the first time he couldn\u2019t put this brave face on any more.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel it was a little bit more like a breakdown,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cPeople don\u2019t realise how much pressure they are under, from their peers, the lovers, the haters. It all just got on top of him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joshua has never fully regained his confidence, nor has the public perception wholly recovered. Fernandez used to show him long montages of his old fights and try to restore Joshua\u2019s self-belief. \u201cI used to say, \u2018What will it take me to bring that guy back?\u2019\u201d Fernandez says, before suggesting that Joshua\u2019s numerous businesses, sponsorship commitments, and desire to help his friends became a distraction. \u201cHe\u2019s a wonderful person. He\u2019s always there for you, but sometimes I think that\u2019s one of his downfalls. If he was more selfish, maybe he would achieve [more].\u201d <\/p>\n

But Joshua kept searching for answers. He tried several coaches in the United States before settling on Derrick James, who trained welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr, and rebuilt with wins over Jermaine Franklin and Otto Wallin. Joshua then teamed up with Tyson Fury\u2019s former trainer, Ben Davison, for his vicious knockout win against the MMA fighter Francis Ngannou, but those didn\u2019t represent elite tests. <\/p>\n

\"Anthony<\/p>\n

Fernandez celebrating with the two-times world champion in Saudi Arabia<\/p>\n

When he came up against Dubois, whom Joshua used to spar with at GB Boxing, he was badly hurt in the first round and his tactics went out of the window. \u201cObviously new coaches will try to implement their own style. Anthony is always willing to learn. Changing coaches can be good but I don\u2019t think it has been good for him,\u201d Fernandez says. <\/p>\n

Hearn compares Joshua\u2019s dressing room that night to a \u201cmorgue\u201d and plenty questioned whether he should fight on in the aftermath. He is already wealthy beyond his wildest dreams and his chances of becoming a three-times world champion appear unlikely. But boxing has consumed his life for so long and those close to him insist the fire still burns. <\/p>\n

And so here we are in Miami for a fantastical comeback nobody expected. There is a new training team again too: Usyk\u2019s coaches, who stumped Joshua twice. \u201cAlthough it is a circus, it actually comes at a brilliant time for him,\u201d Hearn says. A deal has been agreed for Joshua to fight again in February before finally taking on Fury in September \u2014 a few years too late, but still the biggest fight in British boxing.<\/p>\n

\"British<\/p>\n

Joshua, pictured on a return trip to his first amateur boxing club, in north London, in 2016, is paying for some of his old coaching team to come to Miami for his fight with Paul<\/p>\n

ALAMY<\/p>\n

As he enters this final act, Joshua\u2019s career is already extraordinary by any ordinary measure. In some ways, he has been a victim of his own success and the impossible standard set and so voraciously marketed. Triumph made him a household name, tumult hardened his shell towards the public, but Murphy sees little difference in the teenager who once tricked border patrol by using his cousin\u2019s passport \u2014 his own had expired \u2014 to enter France so that he didn\u2019t miss an international tournament.<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago the veteran coach received an impromptu call from Joshua saying he would arrange tickets and flights for his old friends at Finchley to come to Miami for the fight on Friday. He then spoke to two girls who were about to compete for the club to give them encouragement. The two minibuses, the ring, the punchbags and the refurbished weights room at Finchley are all new courtesy of him, but he doesn\u2019t advertise those donations.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t need to do that but he\u2019s got a clean heart. He\u2019s never forgotten where he came from and the community he grew up in,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cPeople can be jealous, but what he did in such a short space of time, for someone who didn\u2019t start boxing until they were 18, it\u2019s unbelievable how he turned his life around, and I think he\u2019ll surprise a few people. He\u2019s not finished yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anthony Joshua v Jake Paul<\/p>\n

Kaseya Centre in Miami, Florida
Saturday, 3.30am (GMT)
TV Netflix<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Finchley Amateur Boxing Club is the closest the public can get to the real Anthony Joshua. An Olympic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":347969,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-347968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-boxing","8":"tag-boxing","9":"tag-ca","10":"tag-canada","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/347969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}