ALOYS Junior does not mind playing a more villainous role away from the ring. In fact, he firmly believes that it offers a truer reflection of his character.
The 22-year-old declared himself the king of Scotland last month, shortly after dismantling David Jamieson on away soil.
Since then, he has directed several verbal assaults at Viddal Riley, his domestic rival, while their cruiserweight matchup remains a fair distance away from materialising.
That more bullish attitude, however, did not exist a matter of months ago, with the previously unassuming prospect attributing much of his new approach to what would have been, for most, a deeply traumatic experience.
“I got into a car crash, a very bad car crash, about six months ago,” Junior, 10-1 (9 KOs), told Boxing News. “We kept it under wraps, away from the boxing world.
“Before that, I had a lot of people influencing the way I would express myself, trying to control my narrative.
“But the car crash showed me that I could die in any moment – I literally came face-to-face with death.
“I didn’t b**** about it, or close my eyes and turn away. I just embraced it, and thankfully came away from it with only a concussion.
“So that made me look at life completely differently. I’m a f***ing monster – I break people’s jaws for a living – and you’re not going to tell me what to do.”
Even before an unexpected tango with death, Junior had already put the wheels in motion to shake off his somewhat media-trained persona.
Oddly enough, it was when Anthony Joshua lost to Daniel Dubois last September that he decided, from that moment onwards, to express himself in a more authentic manner.
As a stablemate of the former world heavyweight champion, the explosive puncher was convinced that his night at Wembley Stadium would be filled with sunshine and rainbows.
But instead, Joshua was ultimately forced to suffer a devastating fifth-round stoppage defeat, his setback made only worse by a drastic shift in public perception.
“I’d always wanted to be like Anthony Joshua, to have everyone love and appreciate me – and be the hero,” Junior admitted. “But now, I’ve realised that all of [Joshua’s recognition] was just an illusion.
“Everyone showed Anthony Joshua love when he was heading into the fight [against Dubois]. But after the fight, I’m hearing people say that Anthony Joshua’s a b****, Anthony Joshua’s a clown. They were destroying the hero.
“You could be this nice guy – this hero – but then people are just going to stab you in the back. So why the f*** would I try and get people to like me?
“At the end of the day, you lot don’t care if I f***ing walk away with half a brain. You lot just want to be entertained.”
Sure enough, Junior has only experienced the benefits of having a divisive personality, not least regarding an elevated presence on social media.
But regardless of that, the newly-crowned Commonwealth champion remains grateful, more than anything, that he is able to go about his business with an unapologetic sense of freedom.
“I don’t mind being the villain; I think it probably suits me,” he said.
“I got 10,000 followers on Instagram [after beating Jamieson], just for being me. Before, I used to hold certain comments back, and alter my responses to please the fans. But f*** that.”
