NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Boxing

Anthony Joshua is the global sporting megastar who still lives with mum and 'hasn't changed'

By Wally Downes Jr
news.com.au·
26 Oct, 2017 10:20 PM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Anthony Joshua. Photo / Getty Images.
Anthony Joshua. Photo / Getty Images.

Anthony Joshua. Photo / Getty Images.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He wears a $672,000 watch and is projected to become boxing's first billion-dollar man.

But, somehow, Anthony Joshua still manages to retain his 'every man' appeal.

Standing at six-foot-six, with muscles upon muscles, a Ralph Lauren smile and a few million pounds in the bank Anthony Joshua looks almost super human.

The heavyweight world champion's genetic make-up and iron will seem to have sculpted a being not entirely of this world, certainly something on a higher plane than you or I.

Or the tens of thousands of fans who sign up to watch him fight outside on cool winter nights.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But under the £350,000 ($NZ672,000) watch and away from the designer clothes and luxury cars, what his Hollywood status gets for free is a fella as fallible and prone to gaffes as every one of his fans.

The finest moment of the recent BBC documentary aired in the build-up to his fight was a one-to-one video call with Josh's childhood hero Dr Dre, an almost mythical figure in American music who has not only forged his own empire, but laid the foundations for Eminem and scores of others.

For Joshua, it seemed that surprise call with Dre, that made him mumble and blush and stutter and drop his guard for the first time since Wladimir Klitschko tagged him in round six of their incredible Wembley night.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As the rap titan lauded AJ's achievements and sent his support across the pond, the IBF and WBA king tried to articulate his appreciation for Dre's legacy as a musician and instead called him his favourite MAGICIAN!

None of AJ's entourage disrupted the call and the long-distance nature meant the newly-appointed conjurer missed the rare mistake.

But - the second the call was closed - Team Joshua set about mocking their leader mercilessly and his eight-pack stomach creased up laughing along with them.

It was the sort of mistake we have all made; called a teacher 'mum', sent the right text to the wrong girl or confused your American rap hero with Paul Daniels.

Discover more

Boxing

Parker: 'Don't put me in with a bum'

21 Oct 04:00 PM
Boxing

Joshua eyeing fight with Parker

25 Oct 12:55 AM
UFC

Mayweather-McGregor: 'It was all a set-up, a scam'

26 Oct 09:59 PM
Entertainment

Eminem kicks off the MTV EMAs with new track

12 Nov 10:22 PM

It was television gold.

There appeared no hasty need to correct themselves or insist the BBC production team edit out the footage, leaving the real jewel of the program on the canvas.

It was another glimpse at Joshua's humility, his charm and lack of pretence and it was another brief clue as to why he is breaking records up and down the country and now with trips to more football stadiums next on the agenda.

There is usually something so off-putting about the favourite - just ask Alex Ferguson's Manchester United or Floyd Mayweather - they're the superstars we pay to watch in the hope they stumble and Joshua's supreme talent should put him in that bracket.

But - perhaps like sporting icon Roger Federer - there is little underdog appeal to the moderate fan when Joshua takes centre stage.

You have to find a serious cynic in a dark pub corner or office cubicle who wants the Watford star to lose.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The life-affirming story of his incredible U-turn from convicted dealer to national treasure is well documented, the heartwarming relationship with the single mum he still lives with is revisited with each fight.

Since AJ and coach Rob McCracken hit upon a winning formula they have stuck to it like glue.

The same ropey Sheffield bed-sit remains his base when in camp and away from home comforts.

The Nandos black card he was gifted for loyal custom feeds not just his enormous appetite but that of his friends and teammates.

If Joshua's mantras revolve around staying hungry and humble then the catchphrase of those lucky enough to be around him tends to be: 'Josh hasn't changed'.

But none of it is tiresome yet and exciting chapters of title defences in American and fatherhood are still to be written.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Klitschko had the dedication and integrity but lacked the charm and charisma, David Haye had the looks but soured his story by overplaying the fame game and acting the bad boy for Tony Bellew.

Tyson Fury's Cinderella story and cabaret act should have secured him a place at boxing's top table but too many toxic outbursts wrecked his mass-market appeal and left him a tragic warning to those that follow him.

But Joshua seems cut from a different cloth, or a rich tapestry of all the best elements of the great men who went before him.

He has seen the best and worst of Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield and built what looks like the full package.

Right now he seems to be the sum of the best parts of all of them and - perhaps just as importantly - the best parts of all of us.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Boxing

Boxing

Mexican boxer arrested, faces deportation days after loss to Jake Paul

03 Jul 07:34 PM
Premium
New Zealand

Kiwi athletes urged to watch what they wear - or risk falling foul of drug testers

29 Jun 12:00 AM
Boxing

Emma Nesbitt, 20, set to fight 47-year-old Aussie boxer in Auckland

25 Jun 10:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
Texas flash flood toll passes 100, including 27 at summer camp
World

Texas flash flood toll passes 100, including 27 at summer camp

08 Jul 12:10 AM
Night Market incident: 21yo to defend wounding charge
Rotorua Daily Post

Night Market incident: 21yo to defend wounding charge

08 Jul 12:05 AM
'Couldn't be happier': Couple's bold move from city to franchise owners
Northern Advocate

'Couldn't be happier': Couple's bold move from city to franchise owners

08 Jul 12:00 AM
'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man
Rotorua Daily Post

'Risk to the public': Police search for wanted man

07 Jul 11:57 PM
Watch: Footage of police officer being injured in alleged assault at airport
World

Watch: Footage of police officer being injured in alleged assault at airport

07 Jul 11:50 PM

Latest from Boxing

Mexican boxer arrested, faces deportation days after loss to Jake Paul

Mexican boxer arrested, faces deportation days after loss to Jake Paul

03 Jul 07:34 PM

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was arrested by US immigration officers in Los Angeles.

Premium
Kiwi athletes urged to watch what they wear - or risk falling foul of drug testers

Kiwi athletes urged to watch what they wear - or risk falling foul of drug testers

29 Jun 12:00 AM
Emma Nesbitt, 20, set to fight 47-year-old Aussie boxer in Auckland

Emma Nesbitt, 20, set to fight 47-year-old Aussie boxer in Auckland

25 Jun 10:00 PM
'No truth in it': Gallen hits back at SBW claims

'No truth in it': Gallen hits back at SBW claims

19 Jun 04:00 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search