Life has not changed much for Anthony Joshua since winning a version of the world heavyweight title and he sees today’s first defence as merely a stepping stone towards his ultimate goal.
The 2012 Olympic gold medallist will be trying to claim his 17th knockout victim from as many professional fights when he defends his IBF belt against American Dominic Breazeale at the O2 Arena in London.
Joshua’s goal is to hold all four world heavyweight titles and be undisputed champion, so he has not allowed his achievement to get to his head.
With three world champions in the heavyweight division, there is still plenty of dispute as to who is the division’s No 1.
Joshua’s fellow Briton Tyson Fury was due to defend his WBA and WBO belts against Wladimir Klitschko on July 9 but he has had to postpone the bout because of an ankle injury.
WBC champion Deontay Wilder will face fellow American Chris Arreola a week later.
“After I won the world title, I was down at the local supermarket and I used the local launderette,” Joshua told AFP.
“When I went to restaurants like Nandos, people were like, ‘What are you doing in here?’ Because I want to.
“The truth is, when you get those highs from victory, or have been in a long camp, normality feels like a release.
“Everything that’s happened since turning pro has been designed to end with me as the unified heavyweight champion of the world.
“I don’t feel that I’ve even scratched the surface of what I can achieve and that’s why when I beat Charles Martin [in April] I didn’t celebrate wildly because I’ve only had one world title fight, one world title win and one world title belt.
“I want all the belts and I know that there is a lot of work to be done to get there, but I’ve got a great team behind me and I think that I will get there.”
Just over two months after stopping American Charles Martin in the second round for the title, Joshua returns to action.
It has been a rapid rise to the top for Joshua, who won super-heavyweight gold at the London 2012 Olympics.
Joshua’s challenger also boxed in the same weight class at the last Olympics, but Breazeale lost his first bout.
Joshua, who avoids trash talking as much as his British rival Fury embraces it, believes Breazeale will do better in the professional ranks and is not dismissing the threat of the unbeaten American.
“He has gained confidence as a professional, as an amateur he wasn’t knocking people out and this is a completely different game so I think he will do better as a professional,” said Joshua.
“I’m not going to dismiss him and say he’s worse than Charles Martin, I’ve approached it the same and I hope to beat him the same.”
But Joshua laughed off Breazeale’s claim that he has rattled the champion in the build-up to the fight.
“He hasn’t really got under my skin,” said Joshua.
“Getting under someone’s skin is nothing to do with throwing punches. I don’t really get where he’s going with that.”