Anthony Joshua has long regarded Mike Tyson as his primary sporting inspiration since his youth. The two-time unified heavyweight champion has looked up to the former undisputed heavyweight king, who continues to be one of the most iconic figures in the world.

In a 2022 interview on the Behind the BOSS podcast, when asked about his sporting influences, Joshua shared, “As a boxing inspiration, you just have to observe what they accomplish inside the ring. Often, we tend to judge people based on their activities outside their profession.”

He continued, “I don’t admire many individuals for their personal lives. I admire Mike Tyson because he epitomized discipline. Despite facing significant challenges – growing up in poverty, with his mother involved in various activities – he essentially raised himself. By the age of 13, he was already in juvenile detention centers.”

Joshua highlighted Tyson’s troubled past, noting, “He had a lengthy criminal record, about 50 pages long. If we assessed someone with that kind of background, we might have concluded, ‘This person is destined to fail in life; they don’t have much going for them.’ But he transformed his life.”