ANTHONY JOSHUA was such a student of the game he would even ask amateur boxing hopefuls for advice.
AJ only started boxing at 18 but just four years later he won Olympic gold for Great Britain in London.
GettyAnthony Joshua at Team GB’s Sheffield HQ in 2020[/caption] PA:Press AssociationGalal Yafai trained alongside AJ[/caption]And after turning professional, he won the unified heavyweight world titles under the mentorship of GB head coach Rob McCracken.
Flyweight Galal Yafai – who won gold in Tokyo in 2021 – spent time with AJ at the GB’s Sheffield HQ and was blown away by his eagerness to learn – from all comers.
Yafai told SunSport: “It’s quite crazy really and it’s not a disrespectful thing, but sometimes he’d ask someone who’s like a young kid who’s just getting on the team, who’s not even on the full podium squad that’s on like an academy, which is like the younger team.
“He’d ask them questions and I’d be like bloody hell, why are you asking him, him a question?
“They just get on the team, he should be asking you, you’re the Olympic gold medalist, you’re the unified world champion.
“But yeah, he’d always ask questions even from people – I don’t want to say below him – but that are new to the team, way less experienced, not even just a little bit like way less experienced.
“But he’d always give time, he’s always good to myself and everyone around.”
Joshua, 35, parted ways with McCracken after losing to Oleksandr Usyk, 38, in September 2021.
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He has since been cornered by Robert Garcia, Derrick James and most recently Ben Davison.
AJ has been out the ring since September when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, before undergoing elbow surgery.
He is yet to return to camp and Yafai – who faces Mexican Francisco Rodriguez Jr on Saturday – warned not to rule out a reunion with McCracken in Sheffield.
Yafai said: “I was there when Josh was there and he became like part of the family and it was quite surreal at one stage because he was one of the most famous people in Britain, especially sportsman, but he became just someone that you’d see every day in the gym when he was in camp anyway.
“So I almost became numb to it but he was a great fighter and a superstar. He helped everyone in in British boxing and I looked up to him when I was coming through.
“If he ever came back Sheffield it’d be good to see him around but I don’t know that’s something that him and Rob would have to go through but crazier things have happened.”
Yafai bids to earn a shot at unified WBA and WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji – but first has to get past veteran Rodriguez Jr.
He said: “I’d expect it, but you never know in boxing. Rodriguez is a top five competitor.
“He’s a former champion, he fought the best of the best, so it’s not an easy fight. People don’t really know him too well but I can’t look past him.
“He’s a really good fighter and that’s the thing nowadays, if people don’t know who you’re fighting, they don’t think they’re that good, which is the biggest mistake someone can make because he’s a really good fighter but he’s just not hugely well known here.
“I’m not looking past him. He’s a great fighter and hopefully I can get rid of him Saturday.”
GettyYafai facing off with Francisco Rodriguez Jr[/caption] Read More Details
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