Anthony Joshua reveals how George Groves influenced his whole career without even knowing it

He has also been speaking to Rio Ferdinand about controlling his mindset

Joshua was awarded fighter of the year at the weigh-in (Getty)

It was May 2011 and Anthony Joshua was just another face in the crowd.

Those inside amateur circles knew about the 6ft 6in kid from Finchley, who had won a slew of domestic titles within two years of his first bout.

But the 21-year-old was still juggling his sporting endeavours with the lure of what seemed like easy street money and only weeks earlier he had been up in court.

Although Joshua was spared jail after police, who had only stopped him for speeding, found 8oz of cannabis in his car that day in Colindale, it looked like his Olympic dream might be over.

He did not turn his back on the sport, however, and remained a fan at heart. It's why he got his giant hands on a ticket for the highly anticipated London derby between bitter rivals James DeGale and George Groves at the 02 Arena late in the spring.

Now it seems what happened that night in London has something to do with his man-of-the-people charm which has separated him from just about every other boxer on the planet.

Incredibly, the Golders Green resident, who boxed out of Finchley ABC and spent time in school in Nigeria, has sold out the national stadium in Wales. Not even local hero and all-time-great Joe Calzaghe did that.

Despite only facing a late stand-in, Joshua has sold close to 80,000 tickets for the second time in six months. What's more, at his open workout on Wednesday evening in the city centre, where he did little more than skip and hit pads, hundreds and hundreds came out to see him.

And although he has spent weeks, months and years honing his body in the gym, it is the golden hour he spends after such events taking pictures with fans and signing autographs that have marked him out as a genuine attraction.

He has spent a total of just 135 minutes inside the professional prizefighting ring but on Saturday, ‘AJ’ will perform in front of the biggest indoor boxing crowd in history. Groves, although he probably doesn't realise it, actually has a lot to do with Joshua's crossover appeal.

“I've been in that situation, on the other side, where security have just pushed you back,” Joshua said of the fans who queue to see him.

“That was the DeGale-Groves one. I asked for Groves’ glove and the guy was like ‘get back’. I've never told George this story actually.

Joshua and Takam will face off in a sold-out Principality Stadium (Getty)

“And it was like ‘from that day onwards’ and I start going into some deep story... No, I'm joking.

“But it means I've been on that side and been turned back so I know how that feels. I still talk about that today so it really stays with you.

“The time you give someone will stay with them and the time you don't give someone will stay with them too.”

Joshua had waited among the throng of fans following Groves' close points win over his former amateur stable-mate DeGale. At 6ft 6in, he would have stood out like a sore thumb but nobody knew him back then.

“The security said 'no', I remember who it was actually,” Joshua said. “He's not working here – he has his own private security I think.

“It was just more like an explanation would have been good. He could have said ‘do you know what son, George keeps all of his memorabilia so maybe next time’, but I didn't get that.

“All you need is an explanation and that can change your entire mindset.”

The mindset has been an ongoing theme during the preparation for Saturday's clash with Carlos Takam at the Principality Stadium.

Following April's memorable victory against Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, it was probable that any contest other than an instant rematch would feel like After the Lord Mayor's Show.

Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, the mandatory challenger for Joshua's IBF belt, was the initial opponent for Cardiff but an injury has given Takam an unexpected chance to change his life and turn world boxing on its head.

Of course, the capable Cameroon-born heavyweight, who now lives in France, is a huge betting underdog and many in the crowd on Saturday will expect a routine defence for the champion.

Even as late as Thursday's final press conference, Joshua was answering questions about his disappointment of not getting a second fight with Klitschko. He has stressed the need for everyone, not least himself, to put that night on the shelf.

And he says it was a conversation with one of England's most decorated footballers which will help ensure no complacency creeps in beneath the roof in Cardiff.

“I was speaking to Rio Ferdinand and that's what he was saying,” Joshua added. “The mindset years ago at Manchester United was ‘what's next?’

Joshua clocked his heaviest fighting weight on the scales (Getty)

“He said he would win a big game and everyone would be celebrating and he would be speaking to the gaffer and saying ‘what's next, who have we got?’ The mindset was to keep pushing on.

“That mindset is not just in boxing, it's in football, tennis, business.

“What's the next game? What's the next trophy? That's the winning mindset Sir Alex Ferguson instilled in them.

“I just see it as a pure form of sport, not business, not about the belts, just me and Takam coming together, straight war.

“Being Mr Popular doesn't win fights and winning the fight is all that matters.

“At the end of the day, when people look at your record, they are only interested in the win, not how popular you were.

“It's do or don't and the people are watching around the world. My challengers are watching as well. They will always judge you on your last performance, so I've got to make sure I look good defeating Takam.

“I've got to meet him, meet him, meet him before he meets me because he's got a very patient style. He can take it for five rounds and then explode and unravel all your good work.”

Good work which, in one way at least, began way back in 2011.