Joshua v Miller: Is Britain Falling out of Love with AJ?

Joshua v Miller: Is Britain Falling out of Love with AJ?

By Dean Wigzell 

Anthony Joshua’s career to date has been one designed to please the masses. Time and time again he has delivered exactly what the British public has craved.

Since winning Olympic gold in his hometown he has gone on to be one of, if not the most exciting heavyweight on the world stage. Along the way he has dispatched every single one of his opponents, competed in a memorable grudge match, won Commonwealth and British titles before becoming unified world champion in a thrilling open air stadium fight.

Whilst Tyson Fury rose to the top splitting opinions along the way, only to then be waylaid by mental health problems and issues with the powers that be, Joshua was hot on his tails with the public seemingly fully behind him. Possessing the ability of Lennox Lewis and the popularity of Frank Bruno, the perfect combination for a British heavyweight, Joshua and his team knew they were on to a winner.

Fast forward to February 2019 and Joshua has just announced the most challenging fight of his career. However, the challenge doesn’t necessarily lay with opponent Jarrell ‘Big Baby’ Miller who, despite his unbeaten record, if the fight comes down to athleticism and fitness shouldn’t provide much of a test considering he usually weighs in around the 20 stone mark and doesn’t possess the dynamism of Joshua.

The real challenge here for the Watford man comes in the shape of the viewing public. Headlining stateside for the first time where many claim his profile isn’t as big as it is back home in the UK, coupled with the fact that this simply isn’t a fight that British fight fans have been clamouring to see could prove a difficult foe to overcome. On top of that everything about the proceedings leading up to this fight being made has been nothing but a big mess. Wilder, Fury, Whyte all were mooted as possible opponents, called out by Joshua or someone close to him and then for one reason or another, we find ourselves facing up to the fight that US Broadcaster DAZN clearly wanted to make happen.

When the fight was announced I took a quick glance at the comments sections on the various outlets breaking the news, and whilst the internet may be reserved for people to spout negativity only, it was clear that the immediate response wasn’t great.

Add to that the fact that Joshua is now billed as a pay-per-view fighter regardless of opponent, a status made easier when fighting in the UK at 10pm where people can congregate around a mates TV or in a local boozer to tune in around their usual Saturday night plans.

The fight will be on Sky Box Office in the UK and people will have to stump up £19.99 for the pleasure of watching a fight that they weren’t all that bothered by in the first place, and then add to that the predicted 3am ring walk time when time difference is accounted for the first time in his career, that should see a slump in Joshua’s usual viewing figures.

There’s a lot for Joshua to overcome to get this one to slide with the British public and whilst the causals may be a little easier to win over those who regularly pay their hard-earned cash to follow a sport they love may prove a little trickier.

The fight was announced a day before Valentine’s Day, but I just wonder how long Anthony Joshua’s love affair with the British public will continue if he doesn’t quickly revert to giving them exactly what they want.