Online Reporter
The “brutally raw and honest” series will cover the ups and downs of the two-time world heavyweight champion’s career and his cannabis arrest. Sources say there will also be emotional scenes documenting last year’s car crash, which claimed the lives of two best pals.
The show will conclude with the “biggest grudge match in British boxing” — his upcoming fight with Tyson Fury. The documentary is expected to air next spring.
A source said: “The series has been in production for some time. “AJ is an incredibly savvy businessman, and has been quietly documenting his career for over a decade. To be clear, this is not some sort of puff piece about AJ the boxing legend and global pin-up.
“It will take in his problematic younger years — ones culminating in AJ spending two weeks on remand in prison, and his 2011 arrest for cannabis possession. “There is also powerful backstage footage of AJ in his dressing room at Madison Square Garden following his 2019 defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr.”
The most devastating scenes relate to the fatal car crash in Nigeria last December which saw AJ lose his two friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele.
The source added:
“Heartbreakingly, they will appear in the doc. AJ insisted on it. He wanted it to be raw and authentic. It makes for incredibly powerful and gut-wrenching TV. The fight with Tyson will provide the main narrative arc, and there will be real moments of levity and brilliance.”
The documentary will be made by SBX, the award-winning production firm behind BBC1’s Billy Monger:
The Race Is On for Comic Relief, and Channel 4’s Troy Deeney: Where’s My History?.
Several streamers bid for the show, and the initial plan was to air a retrospective on AJ’s career. But Netflix were said to have “thrown the kitchen sink” at landing the series, believing it will be an international chart-topper.
On Wednesday, fans saw AJ, 36, and Tyson, 38, square up in London ahead of their blockbuster at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Friday, December 11.
AJ joins the likes of David Beckham, Taylor Swift, Gordon Ramsay, Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue in featuring in Netflix series. —Sun.
