Anthony Joshua joined The Gloves Are Off for a one-off in late-2013 alongside Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno, Tyson Fury and Scott Welch. Looking back provides a fascinating insight into the evolution of the heavyweights…
Listening, observing, understanding; a fresh-faced Anthony Joshua was the quietest presence at the table but, four years later, he is making the loudest noise that his marquee division has heard in a generation.
Aged 22 with Olympic gold in tow but yet to make his professional debut, Joshua seemed in awe of Lennox Lewis, smiled warmly at Frank Bruno, showed respect to Scott Welch and cast uncompromising glances across the table at Tyson Fury.
"You're an amateur champion but, all of a sudden, you have to empty your cup," advised Lewis, still the last undisputed heavyweight champion, when Joshua asked how to transfer from Olympic into professional boxing.
"You have to learn how to be a professional - different thinking, different training, different boxing. It's about breaking people down.
"When I won the Olympics and it was my time to turn pro, I realised I was out there with my head up, and everyone was trying to knock it off. Everyone was saying: 'Olympic champion? I want a piece of him'. I took myself away because I didn't want to deal with people saying: 'you'll knock this guy out, this guy is easy'. I wanted to go away, learn my profession, then you will see what I've learned."
Nobody can accuse Joshua of not following such advice; through his 19-fight career his meticulous training camps have remained closely guarded and yielded improvements as each opponent fell. He is still youthful and a product of the modern age yet he is a professor of the sweet science - "the heavyweights that came before me, these are the guys that I still watch before I go into sparring or into my bouts," he said, looking Lewis and Bruno in the eye.
Yet looking back it is Joshua's bashfulness (or is it quiet confidence?) that is noticeable, quite a contrast with the young contender on the opposite side of the table.
"There's not a man at this table that thinks any other man can beat him," blurted Fury, all smiles as a 22-year-old with a 21-0 record.
"I think I can wipe the floor with Wladimir Klitschko. I don't think it goes six rounds."
And that's where it gets interesting. Fury's prediction didn't entirely come to fruition, but two years later he would end Klitschko's reign. In 2013, Joshua stayed ominously silent throughout Fury's bold proclamations. A penny for his thoughts.
Klitschko's shadow engulfed The Gloves Are Off four years ago - Wladimir held the WBA 'Super', IBF and WBO titles while the remaining WBC belt belonged to Vitali. Much of the talk between Lewis, Bruno, Welch, Fury and Joshua was about how to beat the Ukrainian giants.
"The heavyweight that will beat Klitschko then dominate for a while isn't your Mike Tyson style, a bob and weaver," predicted Fury. "It isn't someone who's on the back foot. It is someone who is the full package - box, move, punch, slip, do everything."
He was referring to himself but having failed to "dominate for a while" there is a vacancy on the throne. Fury continued: "It's wide open for somebody to come along and sweep it all open" - stony silence, still, on the opposite side of the table from Joshua.
The show ended with Joshua, weeks shy of his pro debut, receiving heartfelt advice from those around him. Bruno praised him as "thirsty, level-headed, very smart" but represents the roller-coaster career that Joshua would rather avoid.
Four years ago he was a quiet presence among heavyweight greats but, in the aftermath of stunningly beating Klitschko at Wembley on Saturday, Joshua aims to eclipse the achievements of everybody sat at the table in 2013.