He has already answered the standard boxing questions, covered the ground about his recent ring hiatus and explained why he still hopes to become world champion before his career is over.

But once the subject turns to his little known passion for history, it becomes easier to understand what drives the 23-year-old “Animal” from the London borough of Lewisham.

“I’ve always liked history and I’ve always liked conquerors,” Junior, full name Aloys Youmbi, tells The Ring. “I think conquerors are unique people, unique individuals, and they’re very, very driven. They had to have been to have done what they did.

“I think of Napoleon, the first French Emperor, or Genghis Khan, who founded the Mongol Empire. Alexander the Great, who was 22 years old and had Persia in his hands. All these men did great things, and I like to understand why. What drove them?”

It means that alongside the hours of grueling preparation he does inside the gym with Ben Davison in Harlow, Essex, much of Junior’s time is consumed by history, whether that is via books or podcasts.

“I get all the information I can get from anywhere I can,” says Junior (11-1, 9 KOs). “What I find amazing about this is what really makes a man want to rule the world? I guess I am trying to find the answer to that question.

“There's an aspect of where you can believe it, but then actively doing it, I just find that amazing.”

And while Junior currently harbors no desire to rule the largest contiguous land empire in history, or indeed crown himself emperor of France, he can see parallels between his own quest for world domination as a professional cruiserweight.

“What makes them different to me?” he says. “They’re not different to me. As boxers we have similar values, and it’s definitely a similar structure because if these great leaders didn’t believe in themselves and put in the work behind it, they would never have done those things. But they’ve done it.”

Junior has not boxed since he beat Ellis Zorro in July of last year and he was scheduled to return to the ring against experienced Mike Perez on Saturday night at The O2 in London. However, Junior will now face Sherif Musah (7-4) instead.

Regardless of the late opponent change, it means he will share the card with his close friend and long-time stable mate at Davison’s gym Moses Itauma, who faces Filip Hrgovic for the IBF heavyweight title in Saturday’s main event.

“We’re bumping together,” Junior says of training camp. “If more than one person is on the card together, you are all in it together, working towards the same thing, let’s go. We’ve been pushing each other. We have different goals right now, but we are all working in the same way.

“It's been amazing. Me and Moses have both come from a place where we didn't have a lot of money, and we didn't have recognition, and we didn't have a name for ourselves, and now we're in a position where we have names for ourselves.

“And obviously Moses is doing his thing, he's fighting for a world title. And literally, all around South London, you see a picture of Moses on the bus. “It’s amazing to see someone who I came up with, who I’ve shared multiple rounds with, go and do something like this. It’s a blessing.” So will his face adorn the south London buses before his time in the sport is done? “That's inevitable,” he says. “But it's his time, and I can respect that it's his time, and I really appreciate it. “Again, I don't ever look down on someone for achieving something before me. I feel like that's what I'm all about. And I know my time will come.”