Anthony Joshua sounded like a person with a chip on his shoulder, complaining that the British public underestimate him and that he is being driven by it in his title fight against IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois on Saturday evening.
The disturbing Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) who is not adored by the whole of the United Kingdom instead of what he feels is a “minority” of the public. He thinks the 96,000 fans who show up this Saturday to see him challenge Dubois (21-2, 20 KOs) are the minority, while others “underestimate” him.
If AJ is right that most of the UK are not supporters, they have good reason. He’s dropped them multiple times during his 11-year career, and hasn’t fought a top seed in his last four fights since losing to Oleksandr Usyk for the second time in 2022.
Joshua’s crude clash and Usyk’s belts being rudely thrown out of the ring were not the kind of behavior that the UK’s most cultured fans would have wanted to see from a sporting hero.
There is the episode that involves how Joshua won his gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics with his opponent, Italy. Roberto Cammarellewhich was undoubtedly stolen on foreign soil in England.
Those things are just the tip of the iceberg of why most of the UK doesn’t like Joshua. There is a lot more to his career, and the way his promoter has led it is disturbing. The UK masses are right to despise Joshua, and they will live with it.
“People underestimate me. People will continue to underestimate me,” Anthony Joshua told Matchroom Boxing channel. “It’s a part of the British public that underestimates me, but that’s okay. That will always be part of the game, and that drives me a lot.”
If the majority of UK fans do not like Joshua, it is too late for him to change his views because they have watched him for 11 years and have taken note of all the mistakes. AJ will just have to accept that he is not the UK fans cup of tea. If Joshua loses to Dubois on Saturday, it will reinforce the fans’ hardened dislike for him. A robbery for Dubois would have even Joshua’s haters standing up and saying, “I told you so. The man is pure poison.
“Yeah, he’s done it a bunch of times before,” Joshua said when asked if Dubois was ready for this big stage on Saturday. “Whether it’s at Wembley, Poland, Tottenham, York Hall, or wherever he’s boxing before. He’s done it many times, and he’ll be fine. He’s going to throw punches.
“I’m not expecting someone who will just collapse under pressure. I’m expecting someone who is going to try to prove my manhood, and I have to be ready.
