By Vince Dwriter: Prior to the official broadcast of the DAZN boxing card that featured WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol vs Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, former unified WBA, WBO, IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua admitted he still feels pain because he’s not a champion.
Back in April 2016, Anthony Joshua came into a title bout in the position of the challenger as he faced the IBF heavyweight champion Charles Martin. At the midway point of the second round, Joshua landed a right cross that sent Martin down to the canvas. Martin was able to get up, but seconds later, Joshua used the same punch to knock Martin down for a second time.
Martin was sitting on his rear until the count of eight. He proceeded to rise to his feet, but despite the fact that Martin beat the count, the referee decided to put a halt to the contest. After capturing the IBF title, Joshua defeated Wladimir Klitschko to win the vacant WBA belt, and a year later, he collected the WBO strap by scoring a unanimous decision victory against Joseph Parker.
Joshua had one successful defense of his unified title, and then he suffered a shocking TKO loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. The former champion immediately activated his rematch clause, and six months later, he avenged his loss and regained his titles by way of a unanimous decision.
Anthony Joshua would lose his unified title for a second time in September 2021 to Oleksandr Usyk, and once again, Joshua activated his rematch clause. Despite the fact that he fought a better fight, Joshua came up short in his bid to regain his titles, as he lost the rematch by way of a split decision.
After failing to recapture his heavyweight crown, Anthony Joshua is experiencing life as a heavyweight contender. He plans on making his return to the ring in 2023, but as of now, Joshua doesn’t like the feeling of not being the owner of championship gold.
“I’m not a champion, and it’s hurting a lot. I’m in the gym, rebuilding and restructuring everything I want to do inside and outside of the ring. There’s a lot going on outside the ring in my life, which makes my ring life complicated. So I just need to simplify a lot of stuff outside the ring and then I can put my full attention in the ring, and once I get that done, next year, I will be ready.”
Anthony Joshua’s personal goal is to become a three-time world heavyweight champion. Styles make fights, and the way the world heavyweight championship landscape is currently set up, Joshua would be the underdog against both champions, but his best path to a possible third reign as a heavyweight title holder may be for him to go down the lane that leads to Tyson Fury.
If the 33-year-old Anthony Joshua could somehow earn the opportunity to fight for and win a heavyweight title for the third time, he will join an elite group. The only three-time heavyweight champions in the history of boxing are Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, Michael Moorer, and Vitali Klitschko.