How Anthony Joshua and Floyd Mayweather became close friends

REVEALED: How partying in Las Vegas nightclubs, exclusive peeks at his sparring and an impromptu jaunt to London have helped Floyd Mayweather forge a close bond with Anthony Joshua… and now he wants to help him beat Tyson Fury

• Floyd Mayweather has flirted with joining Anthony Joshua’s training team 
• The boxing stars have been close friends since a trip to Las Vegas back in 2017
• Mayweather partied with AJ in Vegas and gave him an exclusive insight into one of his sparring sessions ahead of his fight with Conor McGregor
• The boxing legend also gave AJ tips from ringside when he beat Kubrat Pulev 

Anthony Joshua was in Las Vegas to let his hair down when Floyd Mayweather offered to take him around his favourite landmarks and watering holes.  

Sin City was set to play stage to Joshua’s rematch with Wladimir Klitschko, so AJ decided to take a deserved vacation to check out the training facilities and local spots shortly after winning their Wembley epic.

When Mayweather caught wind that the heavyweight champion was in town, he was happy to play host and even gave Joshua and a small circle of his associates access to his gym and an exclusive look at one of his sparring sessions. 

Floyd Mayweather said he’ll be working with Anthony Joshua soon ahead of Tyson Fury fight

Joshua (left) and Fury (right) have finally signed a £200m two-fight deal to unify the division

‘It was a holiday but we were also out there looking for training bases,’ Joshua’s camp manager David Ghansa tells Sportsmail.

‘While we were out there we got a message from Mayweather asking what hotel we were staying at. We told him and all of a sudden, maybe an hour after, he was in the underground car park with all his mates and loads of Rolls Royces.

‘The hotel desk called our room and said Floyd is waiting for you in the car park. It was crazy. From that point on he basically hosted us for the rest of our time there.

‘We went to nightclubs with him and he even closed off his gym so we could watch him spar. He was preparing to fight Conor McGregor at the time and it was just an unbelievable experience.’  

It was on that trip where Joshua and Mayweather established their friendship, which could now extend to working together in the ring. 

Boxing legend Mayweather watched Joshua defeat Kubrat Pulev last December in London

Joshua revealed he was given ringside advice by Mayweather to jab Pulev in the fight

Mayweather, who wants to become a trainer, flirted with the idea of a star-studded coalition with Joshua just days after the first of his two heavyweight blockbusters with Tyson Fury was confirmed.

‘I look forward to working with Anthony Joshua real soon, we communicate all the time, we talk all the time. His fight with Fury is a very interesting fight,’ he said last week.

The cynics will say there’s a reason Mayweather is king at staying relevant but sources have suggested there has at least been some conversations about the boxing legend coming on board and playing a role in his camp in some capacity. The legendary Rob McCracken however will remain Joshua’s trainer, regardless of what happens, having guided him to the Olympic gold medal at London 2012 and then throughout his pro career.

But Mayweather knows a thing or two about how to handle these legacy-defining fights and Joshua will be fully aware of the value he can bring, the Money Man having established himself as the greatest of his era with an unbeaten career record of 50-0, including wins over the likes of Canelo Alvarez, Ricky Hatton, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao.

AJ is friends with Mayweather (second right) and first met him back in May 2017 

Mayweather first reached out to meet Joshua when he was in Rio for the 2016 Olympics

The pair share a close bond as well and have been friends now for almost four years.  Mayweather first reached out to AJ’s team in 2016 when they were both in Rio for the Olympics, but their schedules prevented them from meeting up.

Their first brush with each other came the following year at a meet-and-greet with fans before that trip to Las Vegas. 

Since Vegas, Joshua and Mayweather had not spent much time in each other’s company, until the boxing legend made an impromptu jaunt to London last December to watch him successfully defend his world titles against Kubrat Pulev.

‘On the day of the Pulev fight I got a FaceTime call at 1am,’ Ghansa says.

‘I didn’t recognise the number but I answered it anyway. It was Floyd and he was like: “Where’s Anthony?” I was like “it’s 1am and he is fighting today!” 

‘He’d just touched down and asked if he could come to the fight. He’d had his Covid tests and everything so we managed to sort out a ticket for him at the last minute.’   

David Ghansa remembers when Mayweather arrived at the hotel they were staying at in Las Vegas out of the blue with his mates and a fleet of Rolls Royces

The pair became close after partying together at Las Vegas nightclubs in the summer of 2017

Joshua described fighting in front of Mayweather as an ‘honour’ and revealed he was giving him ringside instructions.

‘I could hear him shouting: “Jab, jab champ,”‘ Joshua said. 

‘It was an honour to have him there. He came to see me perform and I pulled out one of his favourite moves as well, which is the pull counter.

‘If you watch boxing, you’ll know that’s one of Mayweather’s signature moves. I felt I had to give him a little something to remember.’ 

That stoppage victory over Pulev cleared the way for him and Fury to begin negotiations on their £200million fight for the undisputed heavyweight championship. Four months on and the fight is finally set in stone.

Mayweather will likely be there again to cheer on his friend whenever and wherever that lands – and who knows, it might even be from his corner.

Joshua visited Mayweather’s boxing gym on several occasions during his time in Vegas

Mayweather even gave Joshua and his team exclusive access to one of his sparring sessions in the midst of his preparations to fight Conor McGregor

The 44-year-old will likely be there when Joshua puts his belts on the line against Fury later this year, but will it be just as his friend or part of his team?

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