World boxing heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua would have made it as a professional footballer if he had decided to pursue his dream in the round leather game.
Joshua gained global prominence on Saturday when he added the WBO title to his other three titles with a unanimous point win over Joseph Parker.
However it could all have been different for the 28 year old if he had decided to chase his dream as a footballer while growing up because he was also gifted on the pitch of play according to his childhood friend James Mulley
Mulley has known Joshua since he was 15 years old, and The Hampton & Richmond Borough winger said Joshua was an imposing central defender who was also good as a striker during his teenage years.
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He said Joshua always wanted to play for Nigeria at international level, and according to Mulley he could have gone ahead to fulfil his dreams if he hadn’t switched to boxing, because he was truly talented.
Mulley told The NLP “We’ve been mates for a while now, since we were about 15. We used to play football together – he was a big centre half or a big centre forward based on how he felt. He was always taller but nowhere near as filled out as he is now.
“He was a good player. I think he could have gone far but he was a bit in and out with it. We would meet up in the summer and go to football camp together. That was in Mill Hill, north-west London, and that’s where we met.
“I look at what it takes to be a top footballer and then compare it to what it takes to be a world champion boxer; footballers have it easy for sure. AJ does three sessions a day and it’s brutal. Not every boxer does it, and he doesn’t need to work as hard as he does, but he does it so he can be the best”, he concluded in the interview monitored by Owngoalnigeria.com.
Michael James
