Depending on who you ask, Anthony Joshua is either boxing’s next big thing and the best heavyweight since Lennox Lewis (or maybe Mike Tyson) or he’s a product of pure hype and a coddled creature just waiting to be knocked out by a “real” fighter.
The truth, as is usually the case in things like this, is probably somewhere in the middle.
This past Saturday, Joshua put in a really solid professional effort in stopping the usually durable Alexander Povetkin at Wembley Stadium.
It could be said that, at 39 years of age, Povetkin had one foot out the proverbial door by the time he got to the ring. The Russian has been around the block—a lot—and he even looked a little worn and slow in taking out failed giant David Price this past March.
But, still, he’s a seasoned pro who’s been in the ring with some of the best and, with the exception of the time he was hugged to death by Wladimir Klitschko, he’s come out on top every time.
Povetkin fought well and was even with Joshua until the very end when the defending WBA/WBO/IBF champ laid some heavy leather on him in the seventh round.
Now, depending on what you think of Joshua, this either means that he blasted away a legitimate high-end heavyweight fighting at near-prime form or that he was seriously challenged and threatened by a faded former top contender.
Again, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle.
Assessments of Joshua usually depend on who is making the assessment. Because, as previously stated, there is a great divide in how the boxing public sees the guy.
All in all, this is probably good for the Anthony Joshua business because an equal amount of fandom will pay to see him exalted as they will to see him humbled. But, it WOULD be nice to have a real consensus feeling for the heavyweight champ, someone who should be the king and leader of the sport.
Maybe the true coronation of Joshua will take place after he beats WBC champ Deontay Wilder to unify all four titles. And that’s a big “if” on two counts—whether he CAN beat Wilder and whether the two teams can ever get together to actually make the fight.
Regardless of what side of the Joshua debate one embraces, though, the truth is that the big Brit needs some live, fresh meat to validate his body of work and truly become the king of boxing. Even if wins over Klitschko and Povetkin are regarded as impressive feats, they still came against 41-year-old and 39-year-old versions of Klitschko and Povetkin.
Joshua needs a prime Wilder on his resume and/or maybe a near-prime Tyson Fury as well.
It would be good business for Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn to do whatever it takes to get a fight with the winner of the upcoming Wilder-Fury clash. Some pride may need to be swallowed in the effort.
Because, if Joshua wants to be as big as he has the potential to be, he has to reach beyond the low-hanging fruit of home country UK fan support.
Quick (S)hits:
-- Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times is reporting that the first-ever PBC pay-per-view, headlined by Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury on December 1, could have a pretty damn solid supporting cast. According to Pugmire’s Twitter post on September 20, the "dream" undercard could feature a Leo Santa Cruz-Gary Russell Jr. featherweight unification bout and a Gervonta Davis-Abner Mares clash.
-- A week or so ago I would’ve laughed off the rumor of Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 being in the works. Right now, however, I’m starting to think that this could be real. Mayweather has said that he’d like a tune-up in Tokyo before considering the Pacquiao rematch and, more and more, this is sounding like something “real.” After all, who turns down a nine-figure payday, no matter how happily retired they may be?
-- In an odd Sunday evening affair this coming weekend, Victor Ortiz will be taking on John Molina Jr. on FS1 and Fox Deportes. Now, this is not exactly a clash of elites in the welterweight division, but there’s no question that this will be an entertaining battle. Both Ortiz and Molina are “kill or be killed” fighters and we know for certain that we will NOT be getting a slow-paced, cautious 12-round technical boxing match.
Got something for Magno? Send it here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com