Anthony Joshua

Anthony Joshua

Joshua in September 2012
Statistics
Real name Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua
Nickname(s) AJ
Rated at Heavyweight
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Reach 82 in (208 cm)
Nationality British
Born (1989-10-15) 15 October 1989
Watford, Hertfordshire,
England
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 17
Wins 17
Wins by KO 17
Losses 0
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Great Britain
Olympic Games
2012 London Super-heavyweight
Representing  England
World Championships
2011 Baku Super-heavyweight
GB Championships
2010 Liverpool Super-heavyweight

Anthony Joshua, MBE (born 15 October 1989) is a British professional boxer. He has held the IBF heavyweight title since April 2016, having previously held the British, Commonwealth, and WBC International heavyweight titles.[1][2][3] As an amateur he represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, winning a gold medal in the super-heavyweight division; he also represented England at the 2011 World Championships, winning silver. As of June 2016, Joshua is ranked the world's sixth best heavyweight boxer by The Ring magazine, and currently boasts a 100% knockout ratio.[4]

Joshua is the second British boxer, after James DeGale, to win both a gold medal at the Olympics and a world title by a major professional sanctioning body, as well as being the first British heavyweight to do so. He is also the second ever boxer, after Joe Frazier, to win a world heavyweight title whilst still reigning as Olympic champion at the top weight.

Early life

Joshua was born in Watford to Nigerian-born parents. His cousin is fellow unbeaten professional boxer Ben lleyemi. The pair made their professional debuts together in 2013.[5]

Joshua grew up for some of his early years in Nigeria and returned to the UK halfway through Year Seven to join Kings Langley Secondary School. Growing up on the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire, Joshua was called 'Femi' by his friends and former teachers, due to his middle name 'Oluwafemi'. He excelled at football and athletics and broke the Year Nine 100m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.[6][7][8]

Amateur career

A late starter in the sport, Joshua only began boxing in 2007, aged 18, when his cousin suggested he take it up. His club, Finchley ABC in Barnet, North London, is also home to professional heavyweight Dereck Chisora. Joshua won the 2009 and 2010 Haringey Box Cup. Joshua won the senior ABA Championships in 2010, in only his 18th bout, and later turned down £50,000 to turn professional. "Turning down that £50,000 was easy. I didn't take up the sport for money, I want to win medals." He also went on to win the same tournament the following year.

In 2010 his domestic success earned him a place on the GB Boxing team and later the same year he became British amateur champion at the GB Amateur Boxing Championships after defeating Amin Isa. In June 2011 at the 2011 European Amateur Boxing Championships he beat Eric Berechlin and Cathal McMonagle but was stopped by aggressive Romanian southpaw Mihai Nistor after receiving several standing counts.[9] In October 2011 he was named Amateur Boxer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Club of Great Britain.

2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships

During the 2011 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Joshua marked his sudden arrival on the world scene when he beat Italian reigning World & Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle, and went on to stop Erik Pfeifer of Germany in the semis before losing by a single point to local boxer, Magomedrasul Majidov winning a silver medal. En route to the final, Joshua secured his place at the 2012 Olympic Games in the 91 kg+ division as a relative new-comer to the elite level of the sport.

Amateur highlights

2012 Olympic Games

Joshua went into the 2012 London Olympics as a novice on the international scene, despite being a world silver medalist. He received a tough draw in the last 16 of the super heavyweight event, in Cuban Erislandy Savón, ranked #4 in the world by AIBA and nephew of the three time Olympic champion, Félix Savón. The home boxer battled through three tough rounds in his opening contest before being given the result 17:16. This decision caused some controversy with most observers believing Savon had clearly won the bout[10][11] whilst a few others taking the view that he had won on merit.[12] In his next bout he fought 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medalist, Zhang Zhilei dropping his taller opponent in the middle round, Joshua won by 15:11 guaranteeing at least a bronze medal. In the semi-final Joshua met Kazakhstan boxer, Ivan Dychko, but despite Joshua's height disadvantage he won by 13:11 victory gaining a place in the Olympic final. Joshua met 32-year-old reigning Olympic Champion and former twice World Champion, Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the closing bout. After conceding the first two rounds (6:5 and 13:10) to Cammarelle, an adversary he had already beaten the previous year, Joshua grew into the fight and fought back to level the scores after the third round (18:18), Joshua was announced winner via count-back and the new Olympic champion.[13] The final decision was criticized by some boxing experts, being defined as a "home decision".[14]

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to boxing.[15][16]

Professional career

Early career

On 11 July 2013 it was confirmed that Joshua had turned professional under the Matchroom Sport promotional banner. Joshua made his professional debut on 5 October 2013 at the O2 Arena in London in the Main-Event of a card featuring Scott Quigg's successful WBA super-bantamweight title defence against Yoandris Salinas, beating Italian Emanuelue Leo by a TKO in the first round.[17]

Joshua's second professional fight was against English Heavyweight Paul Butlin at the Motorpoint Arena Sheffield on 26 October 2013. The bout was stopped in the 2nd round when the referee decided Butlin was taking too much punishment and declared Joshua the winner by TKO.[18]

Joshua's third professional fight was on the Prizefighter Series card against Croatian Hrvoje Kisciek on 14 November 2013. Joshua got a TKO victory in the second round, achieving his third knockout victory in a row.[19]

In February 2014, Joshua scored a 2nd round TKO victory over Dorian Darch to take his record to 4-0. The following month, on the undercard of Ricky Burns against Terence Crawford, Joshua defeated Hector Alfredo Avila with a 1st-round KO, in Glasgow, Scotland. In May that year Joshua knocked out Matt Legg in one round on the undercard of Carl Froch against George Groves in Wembley Stadium. In Joshua's seventh professional fight, on 12 July 2014, in the Echo Arena, Liverpool, he defeated Englishman Matt Skelton via 2nd round stoppage.[19]

In Anthony Joshua's eighth professional fight, on 13 September 2014, against German Heavyweight Konstantin Airich, Joshua took his undefeated record to 8-0 with a 3rd round stoppage victory, in the Manchester Arena.

Joshua was in the Main-Event of a Matchroom Sport card for the second time in his career, in his 9th professional appearance for the vacant WBC International Heavyweight Title against former champion looking to win the title for a second time Denis Bakhtov on 11 October 2014 at The O2 Arena in London. Joshua won the fight by knockout in the second round taking his record to 9-0 and then winning the WBC International Heavyweight Title aged just 24.[20]

In his 10th professional bout, Joshua defeated Michael Sprott within the 1st round to extend his record to 10 wins all by stoppage. Going into this bout as he had 9 bouts all not lasting longer than 3 rounds his total career ring time was just 35 minutes and 10 seconds and after the bout it was just 36 minutes and 36 seconds in 10 bouts as a result of the bout lasting only 1 minute and 26 seconds. He was supposed to face American boxer Kevin Johnson on 31 January 2015 at The O2 Arena in London, but the bout was cancelled after Joshua sustained a back injury.[21] On 4 April 2015, Joshua beat Jason Gavern as he collected a third-round knockout in his return to the ring in Newcastle. On 9 May 2015, in his 12th professional bout, Joshua defeated Raphael Zumbano Love in a second-round knockout in Birmingham.

On 30 May 2015, Joshua defeated Kevin Johnson inflicting the first stoppage in Johnson's career. After Johnson was saved by the bell in the first round the fight was stopped by the referee shortly after the beginning of the second round.[22]

British heavyweight champion

On 12 September 2015, Joshua won the vacant Commonwealth Heavyweight title by stopping Gary Cornish in the first round at the O2 Arena. Cornish had been unbeaten in his previous 21 fights.[23]

Joshua vs. Whyte

Joshua fought Dillian Whyte in a grudge match for the vacant British Heavyweight title on 12 December 2015, whilst also defending his Commonwealth Heavyweight title for the first time. The two had previously fought within the amateur rankings in 2009 where Whyte had won. After surviving the first scare of his career in the second round, Joshua won the fight after initially shaking Whyte with a right hook to the temple and eventually finishing with a devastating uppercut for the knockout in the seventh round, making it the furthest distance either fighter has gone in a professional fight to date. It is said that Joshua earned £3million for this fight alone, as a result of signing a new 5-year deal with Matchroom which sees him take a share of the PPV revenue earned.[24]

IBF heavyweight champion

Joshua vs. Martin

In February 2016, it was announced that Joshua would face IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin on 9 April 2016 at the O2 Arena. Martin was making the first defence of the belt that he won in January after defeating Vyacheslav Glazkov for the vacant title. Joshua set the pace in the first round and kept the southpaw Martin at bay before sending him to the canvas with a straight right hand in the second round. Martin got to his feet only to be knocked down for a second time by a similar punch just moments later. This time Martin failed to beat the count after taking too long to get up, and the referee waved the fight off, with Joshua winning his first world title.[25]

Joshua vs. Breazeale

Promoter Eddie Hearn announced a 3-man shortlist from IBF's top ranking 15 boxers for Joshua's first defence of his title. This included former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (25-1-2, 21 KOs) and Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs), both of whom were recently beaten by American WBC champion Deontay Wilder, alongside unbeaten upcoming fighter Dominic Breazeale (17-0, 15 KOs). On April 25, it was announced that Joshua's next fight will be against Dominic Breazeale on 25 June 2016 at the O2 Arena in London. Breazeale was ranked 13th by IBF below British pair Derek Chisora and David Haye.[26] Breazeale became only the second boxer, after Dillian Whyte, to take Joshua past 3 rounds. After a dominant performance, Joshua successfully defended his IBF heavyweight title with a magnificent seventh-round knockout win. Breazeale was dropped heavily by a huge left hand.[27] After the fight, Eddie Hearn said Joshua could next fight IBF mandatory Joseph Parker, around November.[28] That fight averaged 289,000 viewers on Showtime in the afternoon. The card averaged 227,000 viewers.[29]

A week after the fight was announced against Breazeale, Joshua announced a new multi-fight deal with U.S. broadcaster Showtime. The fight screened live in the States by Showtime after they signed up as Joshua's exclusive U.S. partner.[30]

Joshua vs. Molina

It was announced in August that Joshua would be making a second defence of his IBF title at the Manchester Arena in Manchester on November 26. This would mark the first time since September 2014 that Joshua would be fighting in the city. Possible names put forward for the fight were top IBF contenders Kubrat Pulev and Joseph Parker.[31][32] Former unified heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko became the frontrunner after his scheduled rematch with Tyson Fury was cancelled a second time.[33][34]

A deal could not be finalized for Joshua vs. Klitschko, due to the WBA delaying a decision to sanction the fight and Klitschko injuring himself, which put the fight off completely.[35] Klitschko said he would be looking to fight Joshua in the first quarter of 2017.[36] Bryant Jennings and David Price were the names being pushed forward to fight Joshua next, however it was announced Joshua would be fighting at the Manchester Arena defending his world title against former world title challenger Eric Molina (25-3, 19 KOs), who was coming off a stoppage victory against Tomasz Adamek, although being behind on the official scorecards. The fight is due to be televised in the United States live on Showtime.[37][38]

Joshua vs. Klitschko

On 2 November 2016, the WBA finally agreed to sanction a unification bout between Joshua and Klitschko for the WBA 'super' title. The WBA agreement was, if Joshua successfully defends his belt against Molina the fight would take place in early spring.[39][40]

Personal life

Joshua has expressed an interest in chess as well as reading as a way to reinforce his boxing and tactical abilities.[41] He was a bricklayer before taking up boxing full-time.[42]

In 2009, Joshua was put on remand in Reading Prison for what he describes as "fighting and other crazy stuff". He was made to wear an electronic tag on his ankle when released.[43][44]

In March 2011, Joshua was pulled over by the police for speeding in Colindale, North London. He was found with 8ozs of herbal cannabis hidden in a sports bag in his Mercedes Benz. He was charged with possession with intent to supply a class B drug, an offence that carries a maximum 14-year sentence. Joshua was suspended from GB boxing squad and was sentenced to a 12-month community order and 100 hours’ unpaid work after pleading guilty at crown court.[44][45]

In November 2016, Joshua announced he would be investing in a members-only fitness gym, BXR. Joshua teamed up with the founders of BXR and put together a number of sports therapists, boxers, boxing coaches and MMA fighters. The gym would open in January 2017 on Chiltern Street in Marylebone, London.[46]

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
17 fights 17 wins 0 losses
By knockout 17 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
18 N/A N/A United States Éric Molina N/A – (12) 10 Dec 2016 United Kingdom Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Defending IBF heavyweight title
17 Win 17–0 United States Dominic Breazeale TKO 7 (12), 1:01 25 Jun 2016 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Retained IBF heavyweight title
16 Win 16–0 United States Charles Martin KO 2 (12), 1:32 9 Apr 2016 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Won IBF heavyweight title
15 Win 15–0 United Kingdom Dillian Whyte KO 7 (12), 1:27 12 Dec 2015 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBC International and Commonwealth heavyweight titles;
Won vacant British heavyweight title
14 Win 14–0 United Kingdom Gary Cornish TKO 1 (12), 1:37 12 Sep 2015 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBC International heavyweight title;
Won vacant Commonwealth heavyweight title
13 Win 13–0 United States Kevin Johnson TKO 2 (10), 1:22 30 May 2015 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Retained WBC International heavyweight title
12 Win 12–0 Brazil Raphael Zumbano Love TKO 2 (8), 1:21 9 May 2015 United Kingdom Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, England
11 Win 11–0 United States Jason Gavern KO 3 (8), 1:21 4 Apr 2015 United Kingdom Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England
10 Win 10–0 United Kingdom Michael Sprott TKO 1 (10), 1:26 22 Nov 2014 United Kingdom Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
9 Win 9–0 Russia Denis Bakhtov TKO 2 (10), 1:00 11 Oct 2014 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Won vacant WBC International heavyweight title
8 Win 8–0 Germany Konstantin Airich TKO 3 (8), 1:16 13 Sep 2014 United Kingdom Phones 4u Arena, Manchester, England
7 Win 7–0 United Kingdom Matt Skelton TKO 2 (6), 2:33 12 Jul 2014 United Kingdom Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
6 Win 6–0 United Kingdom Matt Legg KO 1 (6), 1:23 31 May 2014 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium, London, England
5 Win 5–0 Argentina Hector Avila KO 1 (6), 2:14 1 Mar 2014 United Kingdom Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow, Scotland
4 Win 4–0 United Kingdom Dorian Darch TKO 2 (6), 0:51 1 Feb 2014 United Kingdom Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Wales
3 Win 3–0 Croatia Hrvoje Kisicek TKO 2 (6), 1:38 14 Nov 2013 United Kingdom York Hall, London, England
2 Win 2–0 United Kingdom Paul Butlin TKO 2 (6), 0:50 26 Oct 2013 United Kingdom Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield, England
1 Win 1–0 Italy Emanuele Leo TKO 1 (6), 2:47 5 Oct 2013 United Kingdom The O2 Arena, London, England Professional debut

Titles in boxing

Regional titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Alexander Povetkin		 WBC International heavyweight champion
30 May 2014 – 9 April 2016
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Dillian Whyte
Vacant
Title last held by
Lucas Browne		 Commonwealth heavyweight champion
12 September 2015 – 9 April 2016
Vacated 		Vacant
Vacant
Title last held by
Tyson Fury		 British heavyweight champion
12 December 2015 – 9 April 2016
Vacated
World titles
Preceded by
Charles Martin		 IBF heavyweight champion
9 April 2016 – present 		Incumbent

See also

References

  1. ↑ "GB Eyes More Medals As Games Draw To Close". Sky News. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ↑ "Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua". Aiba-london2012.com. 1989-10-15. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  3. ↑ "Anthony Joshua - Team GB - London 2012 Olympics". Telegraph. 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-12.
  4. ↑ "Heavyweight Ratings by Ring Magazine". Ringtv.craveonline.com. 2016-08-15. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  5. ↑ "Joshua and cousin Ileyemi crack on at the York Hall". Yahoo! Sport. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. ↑ Smith, Frank (10 June 2014). "'Make the most of your time here' – Watford boxer Anthony Joshua speaks to pupils at Kings Langley school". The York Press. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. ↑ "Audley Harrison and David Price believe Watford-born Anthony Joshua and Finchley ABC's can win Olympic gold". Watfordobserver.co.uk. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Williams, David (13 August 2012). "The golden boy who seized his second chance: Triumph of boxer spared jail for drug-dealing". The Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "European 2011" (PDF). Amateur-boxing.strefa.pl. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  10. ↑ Jeff Powell (1 August 2012). "Joshua scrapes through Olympic debut with single point win over Cuban Savon". Mail Online. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Olympic boxing: Controversies highlight the failures of scoring system". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "London 2012: Team GB boxer Anthony Joshua through on merit not luck". The Guardian. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  13. ↑ Dirs, Ben (12 August 2012). "Olympics boxing: Anthony Joshua wins super-heavyweight gold". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Hart believes Anthony Joshua received a home town decision in winning Olympic Gold". Boxingnews24.com. 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 60367. p. 25. 29 December 2012.
  16. ↑ "Cabinet Office" (PDF). Cabinetoffice.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
  17. ↑ "Anthony Joshua starts pro career with quick knockout of Emanuele Leo". The Observer. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  18. ↑ "Anthony Joshua knocks out Paul Butlin in the second round at the Motorpoint Arena". www1.skysports.com. 27 October 2013. Retrieved 6 November 2013.
  19. 1 2 Professional boxing record for Anthony Joshua from BoxRec. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  20. ↑ "Anthony Joshua to fight Denis Bakhtov in October for WBC International title". Sky Sports.
  21. ↑ "Injured Joshua pulls out of Johnson fight". ESPN.
  22. ↑ "Anthony Joshua stops Kevin Johnson inside two rounds at O2 Arena". Sky Sports.
  23. ↑ "Anthony Joshua stops Gary Cornish in 90 seconds to win Commonwealth heavyweight title | Boxing News". Sky Sports. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  24. ↑ Sheehan, Pat. "Anthony Joshua claims £3million from Dillian Whyte fight at The 02 | Boxing | Sport | Daily Express". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  25. ↑ Dirs, Ben (9 April 2016). "Anthony Joshua beats Charles Martin to become world heavyweight champion". BBC Sports. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  26. ↑ "Anthony Joshua to defend IBF title against Dominic Breazeale". BBC Sport. 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
  27. ↑ "Joshua successfully defends world title, stopping Breazeale in the 7th round". Sky Sports. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Joshua could fight Parker next". Sky Sports. June 26, 2016. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Boxing News, Results, Opinions, Videos & Rankings". Boxing News 24. Retrieved 2016-07-01.
  30. ↑ "Joshua signs exclusive U.S. deal with Showtime". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  31. ↑ "Anthony Joshua has announced the date and venue for his next fight, and people are already predicting victory". The Irish News. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  32. ↑ "Parker Ready For Anthony Joshua on 11/26 - If Fight is Offered - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  33. ↑ "Anthony Joshua vs Wladimir Klitschko Fight In Play After Fury Withdrawal". Boxing News and Views. 2016-09-24. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  34. ↑ "Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko Close to a Deal - Tha Boxing Voice". Tha Boxing Voice. 2016-09-29. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
  35. ↑ WBN. "WBA decision on Joshua v Klitschko ruled out until Monday". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  36. ↑ "Wladimir Klitschko wants to fight Anthony Joshua in March or April". Sky Sports. October 27, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  37. ↑ "Anthony Joshua-Eric Molina a done deal for Dec 10? - Boxing News". 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  38. ↑ "Showtime to air Joshua bout Dec. 10 - The Ring". The Ring. 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-10-29.
  39. ↑ "Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko bout 'would be for WBA belt'". BBC Sport. 2016-11-02. Retrieved 2016-11-02.
  40. ↑ Jay, Phil D. "WBA resolution: Joshua v Klitschko sanctioned; Ortiz out; Browne v Briggs ordered". WBN - World Boxing News. Retrieved 2016-11-04.
  41. ↑ Bose, Mihir (17 September 2013). "Anthony Joshua: Pro fights are entertainment but going for gold is pressure". Evening Standard. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  42. ↑ Davies, Gareth A. (8 October 2014). "British heavyweight Anthony Joshua will attempt to emulate Leon Spinks's steep ascent to a world title". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  43. ↑ Taylor, Declan (12 December 2015). "Anthony Joshua out to put Dillian Whyte away in British heavyweight bout". The Express. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  44. 1 2 Stafford, Ian (28 April 2012). "Getting busted for drugs taught me how much I want that Olympic gold, says British title hope Joshua". Daily Mail. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  45. ↑ Hayes, Alex (3 March 2011). "Golders Green boxer Anthony Joshua to face crown court on drug supply charges". Hendon and Finchley Times. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  46. ↑ "Anthony Joshua invests in high-end boxing gym - Boxing News". Boxing News. 2016-11-15. Retrieved 2016-11-15.

External links

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