JAY-Z has 99 problems and heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua thought he was one of them in 2013 at a film premiere, according to The Daily Mail.
The 31-year-old boxer told the outlet he and the Brooklyn rapper attended an unnamed Will Smith premiere in 2013.
"JAY-Z is cool," the two-time unified world heavyweight champion said before delving into his recount of the night.
"So imagine — you know those lovely houses that are like mansion houses, and they've got a stairway in the middle, and they depart around left and right, and they come back?" Joshua described. "Pure opulence. I was at this big premiere, and it was one of those big staircases, and I was in the top left. And I saw JAY-Z walk-in."
Joshua recalled being very excited but wanted to "play it cool," trying to gauge how he wanted the encounter to play out.
"So I thought: 'What way is he gonna come up these stairs? Because if I stand on the left and he goes on the right, there are too many people, it's a premiere,'" the British boxing pro recounted.
It was at this moment that Joshua knew he messed up. The heavyweight fighter grabbed the 51-year-old rapper's wrist, which ended up being the wrong move.
"Thank God I stood at the right side. As he came up, I was kind of like (grabs his wrist): "Jay, do you mind if I get a picture?" he shared. "And he looked at my hand, yeah, like: "Boy, I will bust your head if you don't get off my hand."
"But it was just one of those things where I just gave the guy the camera, and in that picture — I think it's one of the first pictures on my Instagram — Jay-Z has just got a plain face. And there's me with a big smile," Joshua continued.
Joshua is gearing up for another battle this weekend, facing Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in London, where he will defend his heavyweight belts, according to Sky Sports. If the boxer walks away with the win, this will push him closer to earning a match against the Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III winner.
"Since I came into boxing in 2008, I had a rapid rise, maybe due to sheer strength, size, heart. I took on massive challenges early on," Joshua shares with the outlet. "Usyk is another great champion, great fighter. But I don't really fold under pressure."
The World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight champion also signed a new deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom, ESPN reports. The WBA champion has been with the Matchroom since 2013 after winning Olympic gold in London 2012 during his amateur career. The length of the contract is undisclosed.
"We've built some great foundations over the years and I appreciate Matchroom — the company, the team, the family business," the boxer said in a press release.
"I've felt comfortable during my years as a boxer and I always felt that the business outside of sport is harder than the actual fighting due to the history and some of the problems that some fighters have had," he added. "So, to be with Matchroom Sport has been a blessing for myself, my family, and my team."
