The Greatest Of Our Time

Powerful but dexterous, explosive yet graceful, Anthony Joshua is the embodiment of the modern boxer. At a time when the heavyweight division is arguably more exciting than it has been in decades, he talks to MH about the qualities that set him apart

- Dan Masoliver

Anthony Joshua is tired. Not just tired but exhausted. Cream crackered. Normally so animated, so ebullient, so playful, even, the heavyweight champ of the world is now temporarily subdued. His speech is slow, his syllables long. But then, you can’t blame him. The man has had a tough week at work. You know how it is.

On second thoughts, you probably don’t. Slouched in the back of his Range Rover and chatting to MH, Joshua is on his way home to north London in search of a much-needed rest. He has spent the past week in Sheffild, where a team of coaches, trainers and sparring partners has battered his body and pummelled his mind. All, supposedly, for his own good.

Joshua is in training camp, the 12-week period directly before a fight in which he prepares physically and psychologically for the task at hand – in this case, to beat the 143kg American challenger Jarrell Miller when they meet on 1 June at New York’s Madison Square Garden. All four of Joshua’s world championship belts – IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO – are on the line, the purse is rumoured to be in the region of £19m, and it will be his first pro fight night on foreign soil. The stakes have never been higher. The good news for Joshua fans (and very bad news for fans of Miller) is that when he enters camp, there is very little catching up to do.