Anthony Joshua is adamant fame and fortune will not spoil him as he
prepares to defend his IBF heavyweight title against Eric Molina today.
Joshua, 27, will reportedly earn £2m for the second defence of the belt.
A proposed match against Wladimir Klitschko, pencilled in for next April,
could earn the Briton as much as £15m.
"Fighters can lose their way after tasting a bit of success but it's
not about money, it's about class," said Joshua, who is undefeated in 17
fights.
"It's about morals, how you conduct yourself. Glitz and glamour
doesn't come into it. I don't live in luxury, I'm still at home with my
mum."
Joshua often shares a gym in Sheffield with Great Britain
And Joshua, who came through the same system before winning a gold medal
at the 2012 Olympics, says training with young, ambitious boxers keeps him
grounded.
"These amateurs who train day in, day out and live the life are
better than half the pros who are taking the glory," said Joshua, who
stays in the same accommodation in Sheffield
as when he was in the GB squad.
"It's good to be around that, they don't give me a chance to
slack."
Joshua expects to make Molina his 18th victim inside the distance, but is
not complacent before the fight at the Manchester Arena.
"People like Molina are unpredictable," he said. "They
seem nice but when they come in the ring they come with bad intentions.
"There is a lot of expectation on me, but it's also my expectation
to win, win, win. We're singing from the same hymn sheet.
"At the moment it's going well, but there will be bumps along the
way. I'd be silly not to think that, so I have to plan for things going
wrong."
Molina, 34, lost his first fight as a pro in 2007 but has been beaten
only twice in 27 bouts since.
In 2012 he was knocked out in the first round by Chris Arreola, before
lasting nine rounds with WBC champion Deontay Wilder. In his most recent fight,
in April, Molina caused an upset by beating Tomasz Adamek in Poland
And the Texan believes he will shock British fans with a knockout
victory, just as his mentor Oliver McCall did to Lennox Lewis in London
"I have a lot of respect for Anthony Joshua, he's bringing a lot of
excitement to the heavyweight division," said Molina.
"But we've yet to see him in a lot of situations. There's more to
heavyweight boxing than just beating down the guy in front of you.
"There are other avenues. We're going to try to put him in some
spots and surprise him.
"He thinks it's going to be an easy night, the whole world thinks
it's going to be an easy night, so my most powerful weapon is the element of
surprise."
Source: BBC
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