Anthony Joshua squares up to teenage boxer tipped to be his heir as awestruck 18 year old told: ‘The world is yours'
Leo
Atang, 18, is being branded 'AJ's heir' after being snapped up by Eddie Hearn ahead of his pro debut this Saturday.
4
Anthony Joshua broke the ice with teenage boxer Leo Atang
Credit: Getty
4
Atang is making his professional debut on the Eubank vs Catterall undercard
Credit: Getty
4
Atang shared a picture from their shock meeting to his 17,000 Instagram followers
Awestruck Atang, who calls Joshua his idol, was taken aback when the two-time heavyweight world champion threw air punches within seconds of meeting.
AJ broke the ice with the gag as he gave the young fighter his seal of approval.
The former world champion told Atang: 'The world is yours.'
But the heavyweight isn't ready to bow out quite yet, despite his knock-out by
ERAD MORE BOXING NEWS
Speaking at the unveiling of Matchroom
Boxing
's rebranding, AJ said: "For the first time in about 12 to 13 years as a professional, not even including the amateur stuff, I took a year out to get my body right.
'I'm at a different stage in my career where I can look at time a bit differently.
"I've not got all these years in front of me like the main man here [Atang], so I've got to make really executive decisions about what I do
next
.
"So the minute I come back, you know I'll come back with a bang rather than just keep rolling.
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"I just thought, let me take some time out so when I do come back I come back fully active and ready to go and take the division by storm again."
Meanwhile Atang is preparing for his pro debut on the
Manchester
this Saturday.
Anthony Joshua vows to take heavyweight division 'by storm' in boxing return and reveals reason for YEAR long break
Sharing a picture of himself with AJ and Frank
Bruno
on
,
Leo
wrote: 'The past, present and the
future
.'
Atang - a former
rugby league
winger from York - is a five-time national champ.
He won the World
Boxing
Under-19 world championships last year - stopping Korean Lee Geon Hui inside the first round.
Soon after turning pro under Hearn, the promoter said: "He's the guy in my
opinion
to follow in the footsteps of Anthony Joshua.
"And ignite the heavyweight division to all kinds of fanbases across the country.
"Young man, plenty of work to do, we're going to box him all across the country, all over the world.
"Seven, eight fights a year but remember what I say, everybody in this arena, everyone tuning in on DAZN, follow this young man, remember the name.
"This is the
future
of British
boxing
and the
future
of the heavyweight division."
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