Joshua's New Aggressive Attitude: Authenticity or Act? Eddie Hearn Defends Heavyweight Star

Claims that Anthony Joshua’s new tough guy demeanour is a facade have been ridiculed by the heavyweight’s promoter Eddie Hearn.

AJ’s Confrontation with Dubois: A Change in Approach

Famed for being calm and composed at the beginning of his professional career, Joshua threatened to hit Daniel Dubois with a chair during a press conference ahead of their IBF title fight at Wembley this September.

The 34-year-old, who previously held that belt as well as the WBA, WBO and IBO versions before being dethroned by Oleksandr Usyk, also used to occasion to label Tyson Fury “an idiot” before becoming embroiled in a social media feud with another fellow Brit - former super-middleweight king Carl Froch.

Joshua’s change of approach has prompted some critics to accuse him of acting in order to remain relevant in a division dominated by Fury and the Ukrainian. 

Image Credits: Hearst UK 

From Ambassador to Unfiltered: Hearn Explains Joshua’s Transformation

But, according to Hearn, his boxer’s confrontational attitude stems from the fact he no longer feels the need to act as a cheerleader for the sport.

“He’s always had that edge,” the Matchroom chief told SportsBoom.com.

“But I think he’s a lot less guarded now.”

“When he won the Olympics, he came through that GB school which can be very corporate and that’s been amazing for the sport.”

“He’s been an ambassador for it, increased interest in it again and increased participation among kids at grassroots level.”

“But now he thinks ‘I’ve done my job. I don’t give a f**k anymore.’ Now, if you put it on him, he wants to take your head off.”

“People say they love this new AJ,” Hearn continued. “It’s not a new AJ in terms of his edge.”

“He’s always been real. But I do think it’s a new AJ in terms of his confidence.”

The Real AJ: Confidence Unleashed

“He’s still the same AJ I’ve always seen right the way through though. Nothing, from my perspective and from what I know of him, has changed whatsoever.”

From Watford, Joshua has won all of his four bouts since suffering back-to-back defeats to Usyk with three of those victories coming inside the distance. 

A Path to Redemption and New Opportunities

With Dubois being installed as the IBF champion following Usyk’s decision to relinquish the belt after his recent decision over Fury for the undisputed crown, Joshua knows that beating the Londoner could set up either a return with his former conqueror or money-spinning clash with The Gypsy King.