Anthony Joshua wants to be Pele of boxing after meeting the Brazil legend at the GQ Awards
ANTHONY JOSHUA wants to become the Pele of boxing after he met the Brazilian football icon last week at the GQ Awards.
And AJ hopes to follow in Pele’s footsteps by being remembered as a man of the people.
Anthony Joshua, Pele and Idris Elba at the award ceremonyGetty - ContributorJoshua is currently a unified world heavyweight championPA:Press Association
Joshua said: “I definitely want to be like Pele, he’s a lovely guy.
“Take football away and he’s a good person — he connects with everyone.
“Everyone who I saw that met him is in awe of him and he just seems to connect with people easily.”
It was the second time Joshua had chatted with the great man.
He added: “I’m not sure if he’s a boxing fan, but he is a fan of humanity and remembered me from the first time we met.
“The first time I came across him was in a London hotel when one of my friends called me up and said, ‘Pele’s in town, do
you want to meet him?’ You don’t pass up the chance, do you?”
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Joshua’s next bout will be against Kubrat PulevReutersPele is widely renowned as one the planet’s greatest ever footballing talentsGetty Images - Getty
Joshua, 27, became the biggest star in boxing when he stopped Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 people at Wembley in April.
The WBA and IBF champ returns to the ring on October 28 in another huge event when he takes on Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Joshua, with a perfect record of 19 stoppage wins, is planning another early night.
Joshua shot to prominence after defeating two-time world heavyweight champion Wladimir KlitschkoPA:Press Association
He said: “It is heavyweight boxing, you have to knock someone out.
“It is like with the Klitschko fight, we had to get him out.
“You can’t leave it to the judges, make the decision yourself.”
Pele is the most successful league goal-scorer in the world, netting 1281 times in 1363 gamesRex Features
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