Anthony Joshua is hours away from the most important showdown of his life, you’d think he’d be meditating in a darkened room. Far from it.
Instead he’s cracking jokes and despite being fresh from an intense press conference when we caught up with him, he was unreservedly calm.
The number one heavyweight prospect let us in on his preparation for the heavily-hyped fight against Dillian Whyte, what his celebratory cheat meal will be – and shared his thoughts on the controversial world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
JOE: Obviously winning is your prerogative, but if you could pick a dream outcome, what would it be?
Joshua: “I’d love to outshine him in the performance. Yeah I could go in there and face a war and get battered but my aim is to out class him, I want to feel great and look great doing it.”
Showtime! #AJBoxing pic.twitter.com/C1OBBHUusF
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) December 11, 2015
Ahead of throwing punches in the ring at London’s O2, Whyte’s been raining blows for weeks in an attempt to intimidate, but Joshua is taking the mind games in his 6ft 6inch stride.
Whyte, a 27-year-old undefeated boxer from Jamaica, has been slinging a lot of mud but the comment he keeps returning to is that Joshua is ‘fake’.
“Yeah I’m not sure what that’s all about,” says Joshua bemusedly. “Fake? I am who I am, I’m not really sure where he got that from but whatever, let him say it.”
A powerful giant, Joshua stands three inches taller than Whyte, although the underdog has weighed in two pounds heavier ahead of the long-awaited collision.
Current mood! See you at the weigh-in #AJBoxing 😎 pic.twitter.com/gnB6EmF4pk
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) December 11, 2015
The Watford-born man mountain has knocked out every one of his 14 opponents – whereas Whyte has allowed three of his to go the distance. Joshua used this in his armoury this week.
“I mentioned how he’s got three fights that haven’t been knock-outs and he took it as a massive disrespect,” said Joshua.
“Like everything I say but I meant it as a positive, as people want to know if you can go extra rounds. But you know what, it is an upper hand. You don’t really want to be slogging away, you want to get in there and knock them out as soon as possible.”
What will your cheat meal be after the fight?
“My cheat meal will be a Burger King on the way home. I’ll just ask for the biggest burger, I don’t ask for ten or anything stupid. Oh and apple crumble when I get in.”
Do you not fancy doing what Tyson Fury did then and devouring 10,000 calories in Nandos?
“No, I’m not greedy, I have to maintain the six-pack don’t I?”
It will be quite a spectacle at the O2, can you tell us what you’ll be walking out to?
“I’m walking out to Stormzy, who is coming. It will be good to have him there. I’ve also told them I’ll walk out first. It’s just another day in the office.”
Will the rest of your support network be there on Saturday?
“Oh yes. It’s interesting as I’ve got this guy who has been saying everything under the sun, many things aren’t true. But people have really stuck with me and supported me and the right people know the truth.”
Can you explain your regime in the couple of hours before the fight?
“I’ll be focusing and savouring my last meal – a bit of fish – before the Burger King feast that is.”
What did you think of the Fury v Klitschko fight?
“I watched it last week and re-watched it [on Wednesday]. Klitschko is still very strong but perhaps the competitive edge has gone. His performance isn’t what is was. You know he’s an older guy now, it’s interesting. That’s why I’m looking forward to the re-match.”
And who do you think will win the re-match?
“If they did, I think Klitschko would do it. A man doesn’t make the same mistake twice, or at least really try not to make the same mistake twice.”
There’s a renewed interest in the heavyweight division, how does the extra attention feel?
“It’s not just down to us, it’s you guys [in the media] as well, social media especially. Everyone is a big part of it. There’s some good and bad guys but everything helps.”
Talking of ‘bad’ guys, do you think the controversy surrounding Fury is good or bad for the profile of boxing?
“All press is good press. Well, most. But to me I wouldn’t want that type of press. Yeah people are talking about him but it’s for the wrong reasons, that’s not something I desire.”
Have you thought about fighting Fury in future?
“That’s a question I’ll re-visit after Saturday.”
(After our interview with Joshua, it was confirmed he plans to fight David Haye).
You started boxing relatively late and turned your life around, do you feel like you are on the right path now?
“I need to win but yes. As long as I do my job in the ring, I think everything is taking control of it outside. I have a strong support network handling business. So far so good.”
Unlike other fighters, you never seem to put on weight or lose shape between fights. Do you maintain quite strict training regime all year round?
“Good genes are helpful but yeah I like to keep things ticking over for my mind and health.”
https://twitter.com/anthonyfjoshua/status/672709727634235393
And you’re a rare breed as one of the only heavyweights to have abs?
“Yeah, people say it’s too much [laughs], you can’t win…but I prefer it, I feel good.”
https://twitter.com/KevinMitchell6/status/674634277762547712
Are you comfortable about being held up as a role model to kids?
“It goes back to the Fury thing, you have to be mindful about what you’re saying. That’s so important and a good place to start.
“When you’re in a professional position, if you want to have a drink or a smoke or whatever with your friends, keep it private. Kids and parents don’t want to see or hear their role models doing that.
“I think you have to be careful about what you preach.”
You’ve become quite the pin-up, would you consider modelling or and acting?
“Come back to me in ten fights when my face is crooked, I’m pretty sure I’ll be a bit smashed up.”
Quick trim ✂️ before heading to Canary Wharf for this afternoons presser #BadIntentions pic.twitter.com/spEySirDIW
— Anthony Joshua (@anthonyjoshua) December 10, 2015
Do you fear that happening?
“Nah, nah, I don’t mind. Women go for personality anyway, right?”
If you had to sing one song after winning the world heavyweight title, what would it be?
“Ain’t No Love in the Heart In The City – Jay-Z rapped it, but I like the original.”
