As a result, everyone not only wants to see him fight, but they also want to be part of the event by actually being there in attendance at the arena. This is great, and just what boxing needs. However, this translates to tickets selling out extremely fast. If you want to be in attendance at Joshua's next fight, you have to be very quick off the mark where securing tickets is concerned. Either that or you will have to go to the secondary market, such as Stubhub, where the prices will be much higher. I believe his next fight against Andy Ruiz Jr at Madison Square Garden is close to sold out already. And a lot of those tickets have been sold to travelling Brits
With so much popularity also comes a booming Memorabilia market. Merchandise is also fairly popular, but not when compared to the level at which Gennady Golovkin's is. But hey, right now, with the -rare for boxing- Jordan sponsorship deal that triple G has secured, and with his normal "GGG" merchandise being so nice, there aren't many fighters who are on that level.
The Best Is Yet To Come
As you can imagine, with still so much to come from AJ in 2019 / 2020 and beyond, such as fighting Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder to potentially hold ALL the major Heavyweight titles (What an achievement that will be), fans want to buy up a piece of historic memorabilia in the making. Because really, AJ's career is still in its early stages. The legacy defining fights are yet to come. Even when he first won the IBF title against Charles "I walk this Earth like a God" Martin, he (and his promoter Eddie "Apples and Pears" Hearn) freely admitted that he is still learning on the job.
While it doesn't seem like it now because of how easy Anthony disposed of Martin, it was a huge risk putting AJ in a world title fight so early in his professional career. But it paid off. However, he still has a lot of maturing to do in terms of ring craft and overall experience. The good thing is, he knows this. That's why Tyson Fury wants to fight him sooner rather than later! With so much still to come, and with millions of fans worldwide, Anthony Joshua Memorabilia is in high demand, with the most popular items being, of course, the signed glove (usually sold framed with images), followed by signed shorts and a signed photo.
Putting The Time In
The great thing about AJ, other than him being a great fighter, is how approachable and fan friendly he is. He understands and truly appreciates when people actually take time out of their day, travel far and wide, just to try to get a glimpse of the champ through the crowd. He is aware that for most fans, actually getting to have an interaction with AJ, such as a hand shake and a picture, or better still, getting something signed, means the world to them. It not only makes their day, but in many cases creates a fan for life.
I've personally seen Anthony Joshua stand in the middle of crowds of fans and literally conform to every request a fan asked of him. He really appreciates the fans, and more importantly, shows it with his actions. Because of this, there is no shortage of Memorabilia out there for sale. He is forever signing gloves and photographs. There's also story's (and video footage) of him doing kind gestures for people who were there for him at the very beginning of his journey into boxing when he was just starting out as an Amateur. So many boxers, who are lucky enough to achieve success, forget where it all started and lose sight of the people who were good to them when they had nothing.
Blinded By The Lights
It appears AJ is not blinded by the money and glitz and glamour a celebrity status brings and has kept his feet firmly on the ground and knows who the "Real" people are in his life. And those who should have a share in his success, not the hangers-on and hype men who will be gone as soon as something goes wrong, but the real people who were there when he was just known as Femi. Staying loyal, and remembering who had a hand in moulding you into what you are today, are such good qualities to have. Sadly, these days they are somewhat lacking, and not just in boxing either.
Can you imagine how hard it would be to keep your feet firmly on the ground if you were in AJ's position? Money, fame, hype, people constantly telling you how great you are. It's enough to go to anyone's head and make their ego and opinion of themselves inflated beyond belief. Of course, anyone, even AJ, will be affected in some way by all this attention, money and fame. But in my opinion, AJ has, to this point, handled it all extremely well. He's doing a marvelous job.
And in today's world of social media, and needing to stay politically correct at all times just in case you upset the wrong person or say the something the masses don't agree with (look at what the main stream media did to Tyson Fury), that is a difficult thing to do when everything you say is dissected and perceived by millions of people. The media can decide whether to make or break a person, and it seems as though the media are on AJ's side, so that's a huge bonus as far as image, and even success is concerned.
The Battles Ahead
Whilst being a very fast combination puncher for a heavyweight, and looking mostly unstoppable up to this point in his professional career, we will really see what AJ made of in 2019 / 2020, where he will take on some of the top, in their prime heavyweights, who some people think will provide a much sterner test than most of his previous opponents. With Wladimir Klitschko excluded of course, as that was a terrific, coming of age fight, where Joshua was really tested by the long reigning former unified heavyweight champion of the world.
Next in 2019, the next stop is against late replacement, Andy Ruiz Jr. Many people in Boxing know that Ruiz Jr as a very formidable opponent to take on such late notice. However, most causal boxing fans will judge him on his appearance (he is a heavy set guy) and will expect Joshua to blow him out within 6 rounds.
But don't be fooled by appearances, Andy Ruiz Jr is very tough and has a good boxing IQ. He only has one controversial loss to Joseph Parker, and is an extremely fast puncher. He is a tough nights work for anyone in the division. The clash of styles will be very interesting, and don't be surprised if this fight is similar to when AJ fought Takam, another small heavyweight that Joshua didn't look great against due to the size and style match up . But most people, including myself, think that AJ will beat Ruiz Jr by late stoppage. Hopefully AJ works on his stamina, as that appears to be the one area of concern, most probably due to the sheer amount of muscle / weight he is carrying.
If Joshua can get past Ruiz Jr, it potentially sets up a huge unification fight for all the belts (winner will be the undisputed champion) with the WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who is no doubt the biggest, and wildest one punch knockout danger-man of the division. However, what he has in power is equalled up by his limited level of opposition and questionable chin.
He has been rocked numerous times in the ring against much lesser opponents, and apparently even knocked out cold (twice) by Wladimir Klitschko in sparring, which, rumour has it, is one of the reasons why we never seen a unification / undisputed match between Wilder and Wladimir ever take place. But make no mistake about it, Joshua's chin isn't made of cast Iron either, and while Wilder has been hurt and outboxed in some of his fights against opponents nowhere near the level of Joshua, he does have that one-punch equalizer that can see an opponent who was winning the fight literally wake up in hospital thinking, what year is it. This is the most dangerous fight for AJ. Wilder's unconventional style and raw power makes every exchange a potential fight ender. A very interesting fight.
Then we have the uncrowned champion Tyson Fury. He is still seen as the champion by many people after getting a draw against Wilder after years away from top contention, and is now considered by many as the real champion of the WBC title that Wilder is still holding hostage. Tyson Fury is still basically unbeaten. From a technical boxing perspective, Fury is no doubt the toughest test out there for Anthony Joshua. Fury moves extremely well for such a big guy, has excellent boxing skills, and is much harder to hit than people give him credit for.
If Anthony Joshua can win all the bouts against the fighters mentioned, and win them in style, then takes on some of the up-and-comers and beats them handily, he should be considered as the best heavyweight of this era. To take out the last belt holder, become undisputed, and then go on to beat the man who many consider to be the one with the skills to potentially give you a boxing lesson, would be some achievement. And one that would make all memorabilia owners even more proud of their early signings and purchases. That goes for memorabilia investors and true AJ fans alike. If he stays focused, doesn't get complacent and keeps that "challenger" mindset, I believe he can do it.
