WORLD heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is now one of the biggest names in boxing worldwide.
I’ve now been living in Los Angeles for over five year where I co-own two boxing fitness facilities called Box ’N Burn and the boxing fitness education program called the Box ’N Burn Academy where we teach personal trainers and fitness enthusiast how to teach boxing as a form of fitness.
Never in the five years have I have been here have I heard Americans talk about a British fighter as much as they have spoke about AJ. They know even more about him than they know about their very own heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.
Weeks before the Klitschko fight I was shocked at just how many people where talking about it. The people we have in the gym regulary are not boxing fans, but more fitness enthusiasts. If there’s a big sporting event or sporting occasion happening, mainly American football, basketball or baseball, the World Cup when they happen, Olympics and even tennis finals, we hear about it but hardly ever boxing, maybe in the past a Mayweather fight or Canelo fight.
But with AJ it has been different. When people find out I went to the Olympics for GB the question I get asked a lot is “Do you know AJ?” Even though I was at the games just before AJ I have never actually met him, just spoke on the phone and social media but that’s about it.
In my generation I can’t think of any other British fighter apart from Ricky Hatton who has been this popular. Apart from his performance in the ring I think it comes down to his likeability outside the ring, that we see a lot on social media and interviews.
It’s great to see.
To find out more about my boxing education program you can go to www.boxnburnacademy.com
