anthony joshua
didn’t have many friends at the time so I was hanging around with him. When he went to the gym, I went along and watched at first and then one day, I bought my first pair of boots, I trained hard every day and I got my first bout and then couldn’t stop boxing. I carried on from there. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. It hasn’t been straightforward but I’ve learnt a lot through the discipline of boxing and I’ve been blessed to be a part of this sport. “I lost my third bout, bout number 28 and the World Championship final and I’ve learnt from them all. I know the mistakes I’ve made but you just have to keep progressing and move on. I used to rely on power and getting people out of the ring with one punch but GB has helped me become a smart boxer and figuring out my moves ahead of a fight.” It certainly wasn’t an easy route to the top of the ExCel Arena podium. Joshua’s first hurdle was Erislandy Savon, the nephew of Cuban great, Felix, where he won by a single point. And after knocking down giants like China’s Zhang and Kazakhstan’s Ivan Dychko, He battled his way through a tough final round to reach the pinnacle of amateur boxing. “I always knew I had the ability to win gold and when I
was knocking down the guy in the semi final, it showed I was growing in confidence as the tournament went on. I’ll always be proud and happy of what I achieved in London,” said Joshua. There was a lot of speculation about whether it would be the right time for Joshua to turn pro after the Olympics. After considering seven options from promoters’ abroad, he finally decided to team with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom who gave him a heroes return debut at London’s O2 Arena on October 5. “Training facilities and the amount of fights I could get was important when it came to making a decision,” said Joshua. “From two years ago, I’ve improved bit by bit so we’ll take it one step at a time and rack up those wins before titles.” After dispatching a doughy Italian Emanuele Leo inside the first round with a series of sharp jabs and devastating combinations, there were instant comparison arguments to Britain’s heavyweight stalwarts of Lennox Lewis, Frank Bruno and Audley Harrision. From a personal point of view, I’ve had the privilege to follow Joshua’s career and watch him spar from 2011. In my opinion, this sensational fighter who has all the ingredients of a future champion but still has more
“I’ve had a lot of ups and downs. It hasn’t been straightforward but I’ve learnt a lot through the discipline of boxing and I’ve been blessed to be a part of this sport.”
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to learn with each fight, does not fit into just one of those heavyweight brackets. Joshua is a combination of all three. He has the height, strength and stature of Bruno, the incredible jab and all round fighting skills similar to Lewis and the positive attitude of A-Force Harrison. However, in his first postfight press conference, Joshua prefers to stay grounded, disciplined and shows willingness to learn from past greats. He said: “I’ve got so much time for what Audley’s done for the sport with his medal.