Anthony Joshua will never be considered the near-perfect fighting machine that knocked out 21 of his first 22 professional opponents, including future Hall of Famer Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.
The 2012 Olympic champion lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. in the seventh round by knockout in 2019 and successive defeats to former cruiser class champion Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and last year have damaged his reputation beyond repair. whole.
However, he is only 33 years old. And he remains a significant draw, especially in the UK, his home country. That means he will almost certainly have more big games in the future, which will give him a chance to redeem himself in what he says is the final phase of his career.
The most important chance for him will be to knock out undefeated belt holder Tyson Fury, assuming Joshua beats Jermaine Franklin on Saturday in London (DAZN).
If Joshua meets Fury in the ring and loses – especially if he loses heavily – it could be the end of his elite boxing career. What if he gets that chance and wins? Well, that could dramatically change the way he sees it.
He will always be the one who fell four times and basically gave up in his first fight with Ruiz and lost two decisions to the talented but much smaller Usyk. However, if he does beat Fury, he will also be seen as the man who persevered and scored the biggest victory of his career after many have eliminated him.
Fans as well as experts alike love a great comeback story and this one will be intriguing.
Of course, Joshua will have to fight Fury. He can? I think so. The match is always exciting for the colorful champion, who knows that an all-English match can make a fortune for all involved.
In fact, they were expected to meet in December but negotiations fell through and Fury fought Derek Chisora instead. However, the fact that Fury has entered into serious negotiations shows that he wants to fight.
And the chances of that happening got better after the tentative title rematch between Fury and Usyk fell through due to the terms of the rematch clause. Fury will be looking for a big fight. And there is no fight, at least in the UK, bigger than Fury compared to Joshua.
A bigger question: Can Joshua beat Fury? Sure is not.
Fury (33-0-1, 24 KOs) is bigger, a better fighter and arguably mentally tougher than Joshua. Fury got up from four knockdowns to stop Deontay Wilder twice and draw with him once, which was in stark contrast to Joshua’s performance in the first bout against Ruiz.
However, Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs) has his strengths. He got up after a knockdown to stop Klitschko, he overcame Ruiz in their rematch (although he fought carefully) and he performed better in the second match with Usyk compared to the original match.
And while he’s not as dexterous or athletic as Fury, he’s an experienced, well-educated, and punchy fighter like most people in the sport. 22 knockouts in 24 wins speak for themselves. Yes, he will have a chance to raise his hand against Fury.
If that happens, he will be a three-time title winner with more picks than ever before. Imagine Joshua defeating Fury and then doing the same to Wilder, who also expressed a desire to confront him. Then who knows? Maybe the third time will be the charm against Usyk.
Is the winning streak against the sport’s top giants possible? Sure is not. At the same time, good warriors determined to realize what they see as their destiny sometimes surprise us.
