By Damien Dennis: Also on the undercard of Froch v Groves 2 will be another Olympic Gold medalist in the picturesque shape of the virile and athletic Anthony Joshua (5-0, 5 KO’s). If you haven’t seen Joshua fight yet then no worries because no matter where in the world you are from, you will be seeing and hearing big things from this strapping and robust future heavyweight champion of the world. Joshua is more than just a prospect at this stage of his career.
Not only has he displayed fantastic technique in winning a gold medal at the age of 22, but he has also displayed tremendous power in his 5 professional fights so far. He has knocked out all his opponents in very one-sided contests against some rough journeymen who were expected to last longer than the 1 or 2 rounds in which they were disposed.
Joshua has a magnificent straight right hand that homes in on its target with unerring accuracy, usually after one of his hard, stiffening long jabs or double jabs. His legs are so long and his stance so wide that he seems to throw this shot from right on top of his opponent as he shifts his weight on to his front foot. If caught flush on the chin by this shot, I doubt there is a heavyweight in the world that could stay on his feet.
Joshua has tremendous size, standing 6 ft and 6 inches tall and with the physique of a young Adonis. He has a beautiful array of muscles, adding to his weight and power. His perfectly muscled physique is likely to help a lot in terms of strength, particularly when in a clinch with some of the really heavy guys. Upon looking at him you cant help that notice that this guy is a dedicated modern athlete with a lot of desire and drive to get to the very top like he has once before when getting all the way to the final and then winning a gold medal at the Olympics in 2012.
For me, all he has to do is prove his chin a bit and then he is ready to take on anyone in the division other than the top guys like Tyson Fury or the fantastic European, Wladimir Klitschko for now. It will be interesting to see who his as yet unnamed opponent will be on May 31st because his team have been promising a step up in class. It would be nice to see him take on someone like Audley ‘A-force’ Harrison, who is probably the biggest name on great American hope Deontay Wilder’s 32 fight record, and he is already getting a manufactured title shot.
Personally I think Joshua is already ready to violently obliterate someone like Harrison or Michael Sprott and he should really be fast tracked instead of protected against really poor opposition who will not give him the rounds he needs to prepare for championship fights. If the talented Joshua is still fighting these sorts of guys in another 25 fights then it will be a shame and a complete waste of time. I will be really surprised if he is though as he will most probably be a World champion by then. At this stage, I don’t really think it matters who Joshua fights because he will likely knock them out cold in a savage fashion when he connects with one of his textbook straight rights or one of his massive bombs with his left.
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