When you’re accomplishing mammoth feats of sporting brilliance, who has time for small talk?
Anthony Joshua is one of the busiest athletes on the planet, granted, but he can never be accused of not having time for his fans.
On several occasions throughout the current fight week, Joshua has stayed behind to pose for photographs and sign autographs for those who came to see him ahead of his unification showdown with Joseph Parker on Saturday night.
He greets every supporter with a smile but, in his personal life, ‘AJ’ only has time for so many friends.
There are only so many hours in the day and while Joshua is undeniably personable and charming, he’s revealed that he hates chit-chat because he sees it as an unnecessary distraction that simply gets in the way of business being done.
“I just don’t like any chit-chat like ‘Hey, how are you?'” Joshua said on Off Limits with Anna Woolhouse.
“There’s no benefit in that, asking me how I am… ‘Hey, how are you? By the way, I need this or I don’t need that or this is what’s happening’. Give me something to go with!
“I’m not into general chit-chat because, as I’ve said, in the era we’re in now business is done over WhatsApp.
“How much time can I spend glued to my phone trying to keep everyone happy. I’ve got to look after number one and I’m thinking am I keeping myself happy?”
Joshua typically travels with a hefty entourage. Between his promotional team, coach, nutritionist, close friends, family and training partners, ‘AJ’ is seldom pictured alone.
With fame and fortune, old acquaintances often come out of the woodwork but Joshua has put together an interesting plan to ensure that his focus remains on boxing.
The London 2012 gold medallist is happy to put several personal friendships to one side for the next decade in order to cement his legacy as one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.
“I’ve realised that conversation doesn’t breed success,” Joshua said.
“We’re in an era where there’s just so much information. People are messaging you through your email, through your WhatsApp, through your iMessage, through your Facebook, through your Instagram, through your Twitter, through your Snapchat and half of it is just general conversation.
“And I’m not trying to be in a general position. I want to be one of the best so I had to cut out a lot of associates and knuckle down to what’s important.
“I see it like a prison sentence, this boxing. Give me 10 years – I’m on a 10-year sentence – let me focus, let me be disciplined and when I’m done and I come home, we’ll have a welcome home party and you’ll get the old ‘AJ’ back.
“But at the minute, I have to feed my hunger and starve any distractions.”
