Let us start with a question, how do you feel about Anthony Joshua? When you hear those two letters A-J, what do you feel?
It might seem like a simple question with a simple answer. Afterall, we are talking about a two-time world champion. A man that has transcended boxing to enter the mainstream. A fighter that has made stadium fight cards the norm. A person that has always carried himself so well, been a role model and an ambassador for boxing and the country as a whole.
So, why ask the question? The reason is that Joshua, on the eve of his IBF title fight with champion Daniel Dubois live on DAZN, still feels that he does not have the love and backing of the British public. Could that really be true?
No one in their right mind should make any judgements based on the views of social media. But just one look on such platforms on a huge fight week such as this tells you clearly what people think of the 34-year-old, good and bad.
He could do no wrong after his epic victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017, a bout that put AJ to the top of most popular Brits list. Everyone wanted a piece of him, a chance to show their admiration.
The shock 2019 Andy Ruiz defeat started to see the tide turn slowly. The questions beganto be asked, we started to lick of lips - was AJ focused enough, was he spending more time doing TV adverts than training in the gym? Yet on the whole we accepted this, it happened to Lennox Lewis after all. And like Lewis, Joshua quickly exacted revenge and took his titles back.
Then came a double defeat to Oleksandr Usyk; titles gone, image battered and the media after him. The knives came out. The hero we all followed, now down and out - Paul Gascoigne, David Beckham, Andy Murray, now Anthony Joshua.
Open season on these hurting individuals. Those who have given their all to their sports and their country, but had the temerity to be human and sometimes fail. Of course they deserved a good bashing, we believed in them and they hurt us. How could they? We love nothing more, do we?
Joshua is all too aware of that: "As athletes, we live in a world where perfection is expected. Where narrative is more important than reality.
"The reality is that this is a game of snakes and ladders.
"For some my legacy comes from London 2012, or the big stadium wins, for others my legacy lives in my L's, in the unexpected.
"There is so much chat, so much noise, so much bulls—t. I just have to concentrate on what I need to do next in the ring."
Let's not be naive, no one is ever going to be universally loved, it is not how life works. Whatever your achievements, no matter how you conduct youself and do the right things. That's life. But with Joshua there feels more to it.
After Thursday night's final press conference the IBF challenger still felt unsure of how the public views him. An uncharacteristic show of vulnerability in a week where Joshua has shown his big fight event experience to look so composed, assured and authoritative.
Journalist Ariel Helwani revealed all on his new weekly DAZN Boxing show with Ade Oladipo , which airs every Tuesday evening.
Ariel said: "After the press conference I said to AJ, 'hey look the British public still have your back. 96,000 tickets, the majority there for you'.
"He stopped me and said 'they still don't have my back'. I said 'really?' He said 'they still question me, they still doubt me'. That shocked me.
"The British public give him such a hard time. He has never done anything to embarrass England, never done anything to put his foot in his mouth. There are other guys who are very popular right now that have said some very questionable things. AJ has never done that.
For Canadian Ariel this experience might be new. While there will be haters in the USA and Canada, on the whole the media appear more supportive.
We know it is a British tradition to put our sporting stars on the pedestal and quickly knock them off. Like talking about the weather, it is a favourite pastime of the Brit. Who of us has not done it?
For co-host Ade, he is more familiar with this phenomena and he believes after fighting back to the top of the sport, AJ is more backed and loved then he realises.
"AJ needs to focus on the love. You know what it is like, you can have 100 positive comments, you get one bad one and that's the one you highlight in red," stated Ade live on DAZN following the press conference.
"So, are the public backing him? Yes, of course they are. 96,000 people are not coming to Wembley to see him lose. The majority are coming to see him win.
"I think AJ has been supported quite well by the British public. I just think there is a very loud minority that make their feelings known.
"That might just be because they love Tyson Fury and there doesn't seem to be a situation where you can like and support both, you have to pick one.
"If you are Team Fury you hate AJ; if you are Team AJ you hate Fury. And that is maybe why there is some hatred.
"But, overall, I think he is loved by the majority of the British public."
As AJ says correctly, sport is a game of snakes and ladders. He knows better than anyone that Saturday night's outcome with Dubois will vastly sway the AJ love swingometer.
Watch the Ariel and Ade Show on DAZN every Tuesday at 10 p.m. UK / 5 p.m ET.
More on AJ v Dubois
- Joshua vs. Dubois fight guide
- Fight week schedule
- AJ-Dubios fight week live blog
- AJ vs. Daniel Dubois: Behind-the-scenes news and gossip
- Joshua vs. Dubois undercard
- Joshua vs. Dubois: How to watch and pay-per-view prices