Is Anthony Joshua the most popular British boxer of all time?

[Cholo_cws]

At one of the WSB events at the York Hall last year Joshua sat near the ring at the end of the row of seats in front of where my brother and I were sat. He had a baseball cap on which was pulled down as if he was trying to keep a low profile. (I've been going to these for a few years and it's a great opportunity to get autographs, photos etc as the boxers mingle with the crowd and other boxers sometimes come along.) My brother asked Joshua if he could get his autograph for his son who was a big fan and who wasn't able to come along that night. Seeing the iphone in my brother's hand Joshua asked for it, asked my nephew's name and then proceeded to attempt to record a short message to my nephew that he was sorry that he wasn't at the boxing and maybe he'd meet him another time. (Alas, as my brother had suspected this didn't come out so Joshua wrote a similar message on a bout sheet and signed it.)

Difficult to make accurate comparisons between Joshua's popularity and boxers of yesteryear. So much has changed.

[freddydoesdallas]

He has solely sold out Wembley with a crowd of 90K and could be more in attendance if they release more tickets but has any other British boxer come close to sell out a stadium of 90K+ by himself.

Carl Froch and Groves sold 80 thousand tickets but before it was sold out but Anthony Joshua was also on the bill early on so I cannot imagine Froch and Groves did the selling entirely themselves James Degale also had a decent following so I would imagine he was also responsible for a good amount of tickets.

As there is no one else on the Wembley bill apart from Katie Taylor you have to give all credit to AJ for selling out Wembley single handedly.

So any other boxer done better than AJ or is he truly the most popular British boxer of all time?

I don't believe he solely sold out Wembley. Klitschko has a part to play in it. Do you think 90k would of sole for Martin or Breazeale? With regards to the undercard of Froch Groves I'd be surprised if AJ and Degale got more than 50 tickets each.
Degale has never had a decent following, everyone knows he can't sell tickets.

I dont think british ticket buyers are buying to see klit. I have no idea how many fans over the north sea are buying purely to see klit. I would be interested to know that number.

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

[gazza8]

He has solely sold out Wembley with a crowd of 90K and could be more in attendance if they release more tickets but has any other British boxer come close to sell out a stadium of 90K+ by himself.

Has any other British boxer had the chance? Froch Groves would have sold as much if it was available.

Long way behind others in terms of popularity

[dirk2686]

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

[dirk2686]

He has solely sold out Wembley with a crowd of 90K and could be more in attendance if they release more tickets but has any other British boxer come close to sell out a stadium of 90K+ by himself.

Has any other British boxer had the chance?

Hatton, I think we all know, would have done it. Froch did it.

Not sure who else can apply. Fury couldn't sell out a venue less than a quarter of the size against the same opponent for a fight last year. Khan Brook? Maybe. It's a similar fight to Froch Groves.

[Mimmy]

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Yes and i doubt Katie T has sold more than 500 tickets if that.

If AJ wins this fight no arena will be big enough anymore and he cant fight at wembley every 4 to 6 months.

[Mimmy]

He has solely sold out Wembley with a crowd of 90K and could be more in attendance if they release more tickets but has any other British boxer come close to sell out a stadium of 90K+ by himself.

Has any other British boxer had the chance?

Hatton, I think we all know, would have done it. Froch did it.

Not sure who else can apply. Fury couldn't sell out a venue less than a quarter of the size against the same opponent for a fight last year. Khan Brook? Maybe. It's a similar fight to Froch Groves.

Froch and others sold out the stadium as yet only AJ and Katie T on the bill. So actually no one is interested in a undercard as just under 90k are going to see AJ.

[Cyclops]

At one of the WSB events at the York Hall last year Joshua sat near the ring at the end of the row of seats in front of where my brother and I were sat. He had a baseball cap on which was pulled down as if he was trying to keep a low profile. (I've been going to these for a few years and it's a great opportunity to get autographs, photos etc as the boxers mingle with the crowd and other boxers sometimes come along.) My brother asked Joshua if he could get his autograph for his son who was a big fan and who wasn't able to come along that night. Seeing the iphone in my brother's hand Joshua asked for it, asked my nephew's name and then proceeded to attempt to record a short message to my nephew that he was sorry that he wasn't at the boxing and maybe he'd meet him another time. (Alas, as my brother had suspected this didn't come out so Joshua wrote a similar message on a bout sheet and signed it.)
.

Good story.

[dirk2686]

Froch and others sold out the stadium as yet only AJ and Katie T on the bill. So actually no one is interested in a undercard as just under 90k are going to see AJ.

I think that fight largely sold out because of Froch and Groves. I don't think anyone was on the undercard when it was announced and it was another 'tickets gone on the first day' job.

Undercards are important to purists, a nice addition for people with a keen interest, and essentially meaningless for casuals.

[Finn]

But he headlined a card that did 25k more than Hatton's biggest attendance number, and going by your posts that seems to be your lone criterion for popularity.

sorry im just trying to figure out if Joshua is the most popular boxer of all time in England based on his ability to sell tickets at a vast amount. so I have to say its popularity as people just dont buy tickets for events if you dont like the person on stage. I would never buy a ticket to see little mix even though they are fit lasses.

Im not trying to be clever or anything just trying to figure it out as hes sold out Wembley by himself.

I think the answer is that he is the most marketable British boxer of all time. He's a brand and has a huge following of fans - not boxing fans necessarily but Joshua fans. As far as being the most popular - Frank Bruno was known by every man woman and child, Joshua is a household name but old grannies don't know who he is, he's not doing Daddies Brown sauce adverts or Saturday night family telly cameos. He's marketed at a specific demographic and marketed extremely well and that demographic buys fight tickets and PPVs.

Just as an example when Bruno fought Tyson (the first time) we lived in Germany and I was about 7 years old, my mum who doesn't follow boxing at all and my dad who followed it a bit (he was a mcguigan fan) woke me up so we could watch the boxing at stupid o'clock in the morning and it was on German telly so we had the radio listening to it live in English. The whole RAF estate had their lights on because everyone had woken up to watch it.

If AJ fought in a vegas card loads of 18 to 55 year old men may well get up to watch the fight, a couple of Mrs may get up because of the hype. But families wouldn't all be gathered round the telly all begging for him to win.

[crusader]

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, without consideration of anyone else on the card, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only does these numbers now that he's facing an opponent of this stature. Did fighting Eric Molina make him a hell of a lot more marketable?

[Finn]

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only now does these numbers when he's facing an opponent of this stature.

However Wlad v Fury wasn't shifting any tickets. Anthony Joshua just needed a very good dance partner, it could have been Wilder, Haye or Tyson Fury and it would have been a Wembley gig but how many of those fighter could do Wembley without Joshua? I don't think haye v wlad or Wilder could have done it. Wlad can shift in Germany but not over here.

[Mimmy]

I'm going purely because it's wlad . Joshua v A N Other wouldn't get the cash out of my dusty wallet

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, without consideration of anyone else on the card, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only does these numbers now that he's facing an opponent of this stature. Did fighting Eric Molina make him a hell of a lot more marketable?

Im only suggesting it because it seems that Klit isnt marketable and there are no other fights on the bill as yet to help support ticket sales. Thats the only reason im asking the question. If klit isnt selling tickets at a huge number, Katie T cant be selling a huge amount because I do not imagine she has a large male following so it all leads to the final person in the triangle, Anthony Joshua. Im not bulling up AJ, yes im a follower or fan if you like but I do not know a large amount of information about him to say im a huge fan.

Whether its klit or Haye or even David Price as a opponant AJ has sold out Wembley by himself (his team) Could he have sold 90k if it was against Price? If as some have said casuals are buying the tickets then in that case it does not matter who the opponent is, AJ can and will sell out Wembley to 90k spectators, casual or huge boxing fans.

[crusader]

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only now does these numbers when he's facing an opponent of this stature.

However Wlad v Fury wasn't shifting any tickets. Anthony Joshua just needed a very good dance partner, it could have been Wilder, Haye or Tyson Fury and it would have been a Wembley gig but how many of those fighter could do Wembley without Joshua? I don't think haye v wlad or Wilder could have done it. Wlad can shift in Germany but not over here.

Whether someone like Wlad could sell out Wembley without Joshua isn't particularly relevant to the point I'm making. I don't believe that, on his own, Wlad would shift a huge number of tickets in the UK, but when you put him (the top guy in the division for years) and marketable AJ together it makes for a big event and a great sell. If it were truly just down to AJ, as some suggest, why have his numbers for fighters like Molina and Martin been far, far, far lower?

This is a big event match-up, just as Groves-Froch II was.

[crusader]

I think that would honestly apply to less than 1% of those in attendance.

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, without consideration of anyone else on the card, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only does these numbers now that he's facing an opponent of this stature. Did fighting Eric Molina make him a hell of a lot more marketable?

Im only suggesting it because it seems that Klit isnt marketable and there are no other fights on the bill as yet to help support ticket sales. Thats the only reason im asking the question. If klit isnt selling tickets at a huge number, Katie T cant be selling a huge amount because I do not imagine she has a large male following so it all leads to the final person in the triangle, Anthony Joshua. Im not bulling up AJ, yes im a follower or fan if you like but I do not know a large amount of information about him to say im a huge fan.

Whether its klit or Haye or even David Price as a opponant AJ has sold out Wembley by himself (his team) Could he have sold 90k if it was against Price? If as some have said casuals are buying the tickets then in that case it does not matter who the opponent is, AJ can and will sell out Wembley to 90k spectators, casual or huge boxing fans.

Wlad has been the number one guy in the division for years, and brings a lot more from a promotional aspect than anyone AJ has fought. This fight is being hyped as the most important in the division, with the #1 spot being on the line, and it makes it far easier to promote the card as a major event, the type that will draw many people for the atmosphere and the 'I was there' factor, rather than an affinity for a particular fighter.

Again, if it's ALL down to AJ, why the huge discrepancy between the numbers for this fight and his previous fights? Why all the extra coverage and international press conferences? Do you think Eric Molina suddenly turned him into a mega star?

[TheLeprechaun]

Bruno drew 40k attendance for Witherspoon for what it's worth.

[Finn]

Maybe to those going just because it's Wlad, but I think he still plays a major role in this being such a big fight.

If it's really all down to AJ, as mimmy seems to be suggesting, strange that he only now does these numbers when he's facing an opponent of this stature.

However Wlad v Fury wasn't shifting any tickets. Anthony Joshua just needed a very good dance partner, it could have been Wilder, Haye or Tyson Fury and it would have been a Wembley gig but how many of those fighter could do Wembley without Joshua? I don't think haye v wlad or Wilder could have done it. Wlad can shift in Germany but not over here.

Whether someone like Wlad could sell out Wembley without Joshua isn't particularly relevant to the point I'm making. I don't believe that, on his own, Wlad would shift a huge number of tickets in the UK, but when you put him (the top guy in the division for years) and marketable AJ together it makes for a big event and a great sell. If it were truly just down to AJ, as some suggest, why have his numbers for fighters like Molina and Martin been far, far, far lower?

This is a big event match-up, just as Groves-Froch II was.

The numbers for the Martin fight were far lower but it still sold out the O2 in 90 seconds and the the PR was relatively low key for that fight. I get your point that wlad is a big part of selling out Wembley because Joshua needed a legitimate opponent but you could replace wlad with one of any 4 other fighters and Wembley would have still sold out. Joshua could have sold 40k - 50k tickets against Martin, they just didn't realise that until the tickets went on sale.

[Crease]

I hope the London Underground trains will be running late that night, I have to get back to Paddington Station after the fight.
Does anyone know what the situation will be?

I think that you may be hard pressed mate.

[Crease]

Hatton and even Frampton took big support to Vegas

I heard on Monday there that Frampton had over 5,000 travelling fans. Not bad at all.

[Ezzard]

18 million people watched McGuigan v Pedroza in 1985.

That was more than watched England - Germany world cup semi-final in Italia 90.

McGuigan was the most popular boxer of my lifetime.

[Grilling Machine]

I think I'd still go with Cooper, McGuigan and Bruno > Lewis, Eubank and Hatton > everyone else. In terms of public awareness.

[Mimmy]

I hope the London Underground trains will be running late that night, I have to get back to Paddington Station after the fight.
Does anyone know what the situation will be?

I think that you may be hard pressed mate.

My son went to the last AJ fight in Manc, as they lived in Leeds it was easier from them to get the train from Leeds to Manc. They got return tickets from Leeds to Manc Victoria. As the fight was late they stll just got to the station in Manc to catch the 12-15am tain back to Leeds. When they got there they were told no more trains were running and was taken via bus to Piccadilly. When they got to that station again was told no more trains running and were given a coach to get to Leeds. I think they got home at around 3-30am

[davie]

Joshua is way more popular the Bruno..

Gold medalist that knocks everybody out

Last four fights on ppv all sold out arenas

Hatton still one but Joshua will pass him soon.

Bruno big fight had 24 so Josh way more popular

I think people are split over the meaning of popular.

It could mean more viewed/watched/talked about. Joshua wins that one hands down.

If you mean more liked/loved by the public, then Frank is the obvious choice, even to this day he's a national treasure.

An argument could be made for "popular" fitting either description, to be fair

[Mimmy]

Joshua is way more popular the Bruno..

Gold medalist that knocks everybody out

Last four fights on ppv all sold out arenas

Hatton still one but Joshua will pass him soon.

Bruno big fight had 24 so Josh way more popular

I think people are split over the meaning of popular.

It could mean more viewed/watched/talked about. Joshua wins that one hands down.

If you mean more liked/loved by the public, then Frank is the obvious choice, even to this day he's a national treasure.

An argument could be made for "popular" fitting either description, to be fair

Fair point. When I wrote this post I was thinking in terms of ticket selling popularity really.

[davie]

Joshua is way more popular the Bruno..

Gold medalist that knocks everybody out

Last four fights on ppv all sold out arenas

Hatton still one but Joshua will pass him soon.

Bruno big fight had 24 so Josh way more popular

I think people are split over the meaning of popular.

It could mean more viewed/watched/talked about. Joshua wins that one hands down.

If you mean more liked/loved by the public, then Frank is the obvious choice, even to this day he's a national treasure.

An argument could be made for "popular" fitting either description, to be fair

Fair point. When I wrote this post I was thinking in terms of ticket selling popularity really.

Got to be Joshua, if he wins vs Wlad, I think it's only the tip of the iceberg, I think there are 3 or 4 opponents out there that he could fill Wembley against.

I wouldn't argue with either description of "popularity" though. There certainly isn't the affection for AJ that the public had for Frank. Frank was genuine, flawed but genuine. AJ gets a hard time for being fake, I think he's probably a decent enough bloke, but there is a feeling of his humbleness being manufactured