Anthony Joshua

Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, born on October 15, 1989, is a British professional boxer known for his remarkable career in the sport. He has held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles twice between 2016 and 2021, earning him the status of a two-time former unified world heavyweight champion. As an amateur, Joshua represented England at the 2011 World Championships in the super-heavyweight division, winning a silver medal, and later earned gold representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. Joshua is the second English boxer, after James DeGale, to win both a gold medal at the Olympics and a world title by a major professional sanctioning body​​.

Joshua made his professional debut in 2013, and within a year, his performance earned him the title of Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine. His career further blossomed from 2016 to 2018 as he triumphed over notable opponents such as Charles Martin, Wladimir Klitschko, and Joseph Parker, among others. However, Joshua’s career has also been marked by challenges. In 2019, he faced a significant setback when Andy Ruiz Jr. dethroned him in a major upset. Undeterred, Joshua reclaimed his titles later that year by defeating Ruiz in a rematch. In 2020, he successfully defended his titles against Kubrat Pulev. Joshua then lost his titles to Oleksandr Usyk in a September 2021 fight, only to experience a second defeat against Usyk in a split-decision rematch in August 2022. In April 2023, Joshua secured a victory against Jermaine Franklin, indicating a potential return to form​.

Anthony Joshua’s triumphant return to the newly established Boxing Mecca of Saudi Arabia, culminating in a masterful performance against Wallin, not only positions him for significant and intriguing matchups but also marks a pivotal chapter in his illustrious career. Despite encountering setbacks in previous title fights, Joshua’s strategic collaboration with renowned trainer Derek James signals the dawn of an exciting era. Fans eagerly anticipate the unfolding narrative, poised for the challenges and triumphs that lie ahead for the British heavyweight sensation.

Anthony Joshua’s game often revolves around his use of the long guard. Joshua has shown to prefer to fight at long distance where he can control his opponents with his jab. One of his favorite techniques he likes to do to maintain distance is to reach out with his lead hand to check his opponent’s gloves. He will reach out and touch each of their gloves and what this does is it temporarily stops them from using that hand. Joshua will also do this when he sees glove movement from his opponent, and this essentially picks off the potential punch before they even throw it. Joshua has a preemptive defense where he prefers to defend punches as early as possible. Joshua cannot pick off every punch before they are thrown and once punches do come his way, he immediately steps back to create distance and extends his arms in the punching lanes to pick off the punches far from their targets. Once he has his opponents stuck at long range unable to close the distance, that is when Joshua is able to bring in left hooks and right hands behind his jab to do damage.

As for the honors, Joshua’s remarkable win over Klitschko, culminating in an 11th-round TKO, won him The Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year award in 2017. All in all, despite facing challenges in recent years, Joshua continues to strive for excellence and maintain his status as one of the world’s top heavyweights.