How the time has gone by fast. It was ten years ago today that heavyweight star, former two-time champ Anthony Joshua boxed his pro debut. Fresh off his winning the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, a 23 year old Joshua set his sights on joining heavyweight greats like Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Lewis in their ability to win Olympic gold and then rule the world at pro level.
And Joshua did it – twice. Today, at age 33, that explosive first round KO win over Emanuele Leo, scored at The O2 Arena in London, seems a long, long time ago. The question we fans have now is, how much has AJ got left? With talk (still) swirling around about a potential clash between Joshua and fellow former heavyweight champ (and Olympic bronze medal winner) Deontay Wilder, Joshua may go another route instead.
AJ very much wants to become a three-time heavyweight champion, and many of his fans and his supporters feel he can do it. However, Joshua has his critics, who say he is these days “gun shy,” and “lacking in self-assuredness.” Maybe. Joshua does have a lot to prove as far as how much he has left and how much he still wants it. A big win over Wilder would silence a whole lot of critics, while at the same time very likely earn him a title shot. But who against? We will not likely see a third fight between AJ and Oleksandr Usyk, so that would just leave Tyson Fury (who has to beat Usyk when the two rival champs finally get it on).
But will Fury ever fight Joshua? One day, Fury says he will, the other, he says he has not desire whatsoever to fight the “big dosser.” It will, then be interesting to see how AJ wraps up his career, how much more he can accomplish.
But assuming he HAS won all the big fights he’s ever going to win, is AJ a future Hall of Famer?
Let’s look back at Joshua’s biggest wins:
TKO 11 Wladimir Klitschko
WU12 Andy Ruiz
TKO 7 Alexander Povetkin
TKO 7 Dillian Whyte
KO 2 Charles Martin
WU12 Joseph Parker
KO 9 Kubrat Pulev.
How do you feel, is that lot enough for AJ to gain entrance into The HOF? Or Does he need more? And is there more to come from Joshua? Ten years on, Joshua has certainly had some career.