Sport

Anthony Joshua revealed Iwan Llewelyn, who manages his social media accounts. Besides, Anthony Joshua prepares for Wladimir Klitschko, meet the team behind the British heavyweight

A big fight demands a big support network and, luckily for Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight world champion has just that as he prepares to face Wladimir Klitschko in the spring.

Joshua, who destroyed Eric Molina in three rounds at the Manchester Arena on Saturday to set up the super-bout against former champ Klitschko, will take on the Ukrainian at Wembley Stadium in April.

Here, after AJ shared a picture of his backroom team on social media, Sportsmail runs down who will be helping him prepare for a career-defining fight…

The picture of Anthony Joshua and his entire entourage ahead of the Eric Molina fight. They are (left to right): Kevin Ayodele, Joshua, Leon Skinner, Iwan Llewelyn, Andy Bell, Rob Madden, Freddie Cunningham, Ben Ileyemi, James Mulley, Jonathan Constant and Michael Jarman

Joshua poses with his team at Wembley following a press conference with Wladimir Klitschko

Joshua and his commercial manager Cunningham in the ring at Manchester Arena

Pictured from left to right in the picture shared by Joshua on Instagram prior to his fight with Molina on Saturday are…

Kevin Ayodele

Friend and non-League footballer, 27, who can list the likes of Aylesbury United, Tooting & Mitcham United, Hillingdon Borough, AFC Hayes, Chalfont Wasps and Northwood among his former clubs.

A strong and quick defender, Ayodele has also been used in midfield roles by his various managers.

Leon Skinner

One-time actor friend who featured as Jevon in Fill Me In, which was a finalist in the short film category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2013.

Skinner also played Davis in the 2006 drama Notes On A Scandal, which featured Cate Blanchett and Dame Judi Dench.

Now director and co-founder of The Hangout, a London event staged at Skyloft on the 28th floor of the Millbank Tower on Sunday nights.

Iwan Llewelyn

Joshua’s social media manager is also talent liaison with Sport Digital, an agency which helps athletes promote themselves over online platforms.

Llewelyn, who also lists France international footballer Antoine Griezmann among his clients, ‘analyses the commercial value of sportsmen and sportswomen’s digital platforms’.

Anthony Joshua and Iwan Llewelyn, who manages his social media accounts

Andy Bell

Publicist and co-founder of SoapBox London, which describes itself as a provider of ‘image management for elite sporting talent’.

The company lists television presenter Kirsty Gallacher, racing driver Max Chilton, Watford striker Troy Deeney and former Olympic rower James Cracknell among its clients – though Joshua is the most high-profile.

A father and Crystal Palace fan, Bell previously worked for Dawbell – a London-based PR firm which represents major figures in the international entertainment industry.

Rob Madden

A Bristol University-educated physiotherapist who has worked with several sporting governing bodies, treating Olympic athletes and preparing them for competition.

They include British Ski & Snowboard, GB Archery, the British Bobsleigh & Skeleton Association, the British Judo Association, GB Canoe Slalom and Canada Snowboard.

A former NHS physio, the Manchester United fan is currently based at The Centre for Health and Human Performance Ltd in Harley Street, London, where he treats patients with spinal and peripheral injuries as well as those with persistent pain, tailoring individual plans to suit their respective needs.

Freddie Cunningham

After emerging with a degree in business studies with marketing from Bournemouth University in 2011, Cunningham joined PR company Pitch before entering sports management with The Sports Partnership.

He moved to Sport Digital in 2015 but after six months became the commercial manager at Joshua’s own management company – AJ Boxing.

In a recent interview about his relationship with Joshua, Cunningham told The Telegraph: ‘We’ll probably speak four or five times a day and he’ll come to meetings that I’m at.

‘He likes to understand it. Everything we do with brand partnerships… there’s a massive consideration in terms of what the output is going to look like.’

Left to right: Skinner, Ayodele, Joshua, Constant and Mulley after his weekend fight

Ben Ileyemi

Joshua’s cousin and a professional boxer in his own right, the Edgware fighter introduced his relative to the sport in 2007.

The pair have sparred in the ring and, like Joshua, Ilyemi is a product of Finchley Road Amateur Boxing Club. However, he has not fought professionally since a draw against Danny Fleary at the ExCel Arena in 2013.

The 2011 ABA heavyweight champion now provides security for Joshua.

James Mulley

The other co-founder of The Hangout, alongside Skinner, Mulley plays for non-League outfit Maidenhead United.

The 28-year-old met Joshua as a 15-year-old in Mill Hill and recently suggested that the world champ could have made it as a footballer.

He told the Non-League Paper: ‘He was a big centre half or a big centre forward based on how he felt. He was always taller but nowhere near as filled out as he is now.

‘He was a good player. I think he could have gone far but he was a bit in and out with it.’

Skinner, Mulley, Ayodele and Constant are pictured at a pre-fight press conference

Jonathan Constant

Friend and 28-year-old non-League footballer, who lists Maidenhead United, Aylesbury and Harrow Borough among his former clubs.

This season he has been on the books of Ware, who play in Ryman League Division One North, while he is also a tennis coach.

Michael Jarman

Sports agent at Doyen Global, which has worked with the likes of David Beckham, Neymar, Usain Bolt, Xavi and Diego Simeone.

Jarman regularly appears on Sky News to review the daily papers but spends a lot of time within the Joshua camp and is part of the Team AJ Whatsapp group.

‘Everyone within the camp works to better each other on a day-by-day basis,’ he told iFLTV about the relationship between Joshua’s support network.

‘Whatever we can do to help and support each other, that’s what we do. AJ has created that and he’s been the centrepiece to all of this.

‘You see a lot of people to cling onto fame and glory but everyone has got an equal share of what’s going on.’

Not pictured but integral to the Joshua juggernaut is…

Seyi Alabi

The director of AJ Boxing Management, Alabi is an architectural designer by trade and works for Brixton-based Stephen Crawford Architects.

He has a long-standing association with Alabi and alongside Cunningham is responsible for the promotion of Joshua’s image in and out of the ring.

Joshua poses for a picture with his entourage after his victory over Molina on Saturday

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