ANTHONY JOSHUA says money is NOT his real boxing motivation — but cash is the only currency he can show his love in right now.
The 33-year-old has been ruthlessly dedicated to boxing since he turned 18 and compared the sacrifice required and loneliness to a prison sentence.
His rewards have been London 2012 Olympic gold, two heavyweight world title runs and millions of pounds.
But the costs have been his private and social lives, emotional connections and — especially since he moved his camp for Saturday’s Jermaine Franklin clash to Dallas — time with his seven-year-old son JJ.
And that is part of the reason he made a flippant remark recently about cash being king, when really Watford hero Joshua just wants to be the King of Herts.
He said: “Money was just the first thing that came into my mind but it’s about legacy as well. The reason I said money was I know how much it helps people.
“Money is my love language because I can’t be there physically or emotionally because I am working but I can wire you some cash.
“I know how much finances help and I do a lot of charity work that needs funding.”
Joshua’s commitment to his community and his roots cannot be questioned. He still returns to Finchley ABC to train and inspire impressionable youths and hopes to show them how to achieve similar success.
He added: “I know what it’s like have nothing and nobody give you a look-in or care.
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“I am not saying ‘money’ because I am some baller buying fifty Range Rovers and saying, ‘F*** you, you can’t come and sit in my car’.
“I’ll get 50 Range Rovers so everyone can feel what it’s like to sit in one, be inspired and come up with a plan where we can all get one.”
As he looks forward to Saturday’s clash with Franklin at London’s O2 Arena, AJ accepts the mistakes he has made in his recent fights.
There were too many chefs cooking up chaos in his corner for the last few fights. Rob McCracken was undermined for the Andy Ruiz rematch when Joshua added two unproven trainers in Joby Clayton and Angel Fernandez.
Team GB mastermind McCracken and Clayton were then axed after the first Usyk loss and fight fans were excited when respected Robert Garcia was appointed and improved the rerun performance, albeit another loss.
But that haphazard running of Team AJ points to a lack of leadership — perhaps too many ‘yes men’ — that the signing of Texas trainer Derrick James has hopefully ended.
AJ explained: “When I was with Rob McCracken I brought on two extra trainers because Rob was the top guy and they could work under him and build an empire, a structure together.
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“For the first Usyk fight, Rob was with the Olympic team and came back to spend six weeks with me. I saw that it was important to have a team. But it didn’t work.
“This time I went on my own — and that’s how I ended up in Texas.”
Those two complicated Usyk camps and the frustrating back-to-back losses left Joshua ranting in the Saudi Arabia ring and crying in the post-fight press conference.
A decade of emotion tumbled out of the ever-stoic and guarded giant and he is in no rush to restore the old facade.
He said: “I have taken every challenge that has come my way and I have done my best.
“Along the journey we really pushed ‘undisputed’ and just at that last hurdle, I failed — and that’s what you saw in the press conference.
“In the ring it was just me expressing that I came from the road and the mud — I never had a dad guiding me through boxing, telling me, ‘Come on, son, you’ve got some talent’.
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“I did this s*** by myself. I went from grass-roots boxing to around the world.
“I have no regrets, no way. If you don’t like it don’t tune in.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
