ANTHONY JOSHUA IS THE STAR ATTRACTION OF BRITISH BOXING

BY GABRIEL PRINCEWILL

Anthony Joshua is simply the man to beat right now, and Britain’s brightest prospect in the heavyweight division. His quick  demolition of unbeaten Gary Cornish on Saturday underlined the speed and power that accompanies this power house of a man. For some reason, neither Tyson Fury nor David Price had shared a ring with Cornish whose unblemished record before Saturday did little to make the fight look competitive. Cornish looked a novice in comparison to the highly celebrated Joshua who took just over 90 seconds to wipe the confident talking Scott out of the way. It was simply an epic performance! And the 25 year old has rewarded himself with a brand new spanking Kawaski bike to mark his newly attained Common wealth title belt

Joshua- Britain’s 2012 Olympic gold medalist- has the approval of the vast majority of British fans today.  In fact only positive words ever accompany the mention of his name, except when you listen to Tyson Fury or Dillian Whyte, both of whose opinions as boxing rivals do not count.  Joshua is always in top shape, and heavyweight fighters in top shape and condition are a rarity these days- either in Britain or abroad. It is so refreshing to see a Brit in excellent shape deliver emphatic results in each outing.  He is manifestly replicating the convincing way the career of Lennox Lewis began and even showing signs he may  surpass the explosive victories the retired undisputed world heavyweight champion brought to the ring. Only 6ft 8 inch David Price in Britain has ever looked the part, turning up in good shape and delivering explosive knock out finishes until the 3 knock out losses on his record inevitably eliminated him from the list of hot prospects on the lips of even the casual boxing fan. Oh, we must not forget David Haye, who has never disappointed when it comes to looking in good shape and sparking opponents out.  However, the former undisputed Cruiser weight champ who also seized the WBA title and defended it a few times successfully until Wladimir Klitschko snatched it from him, disappointed against Klitschko and has been out of sight in the ring for a while. He captured the interest of the British public for a while, but all eyes have now turned on Joshua. Then we have Tyson Fury, who has always lacked the aesthetics to please the eye, though there is no question about the level of confidence he possesses and his will to win fights. His big day against Klitschko is just over a month away,  and he will need to be in the shape of his life for that fight, or else he may well struggle to capture the plaudits heaped on Joshua even if he is successful in Germany against the reigning champion.

EXPLOSIVE POWER

What sets Joshua apart from Fury is the explosive power and brilliant shape that automatically reflects the sustained level of dedication and discipline he has for his sport. His level of humility allied to the prolific manner in which he has been dismantling opponents who are far from bums makes him the star attraction of British boxing as things stand today. None of his opponents has gone past 3 rounds, and all of his opponents have winning records. No other heavyweight comes close so far in presenting such an impressive showcase.  Next up, he faces Dillian Whyte, who beat him in the amateurs and has 13 knock out wins out of a perfect 16 fight record. That will be a grudge fight and many fans are already predicting a knock out win for Joshua, whose professional development has eclipsed all his contemporaries, both home and abroad. Whyte can’t be ruled out for that fight because he can bang too, and he looks in decent shape, though does not look as formidable as Joshua. It is interesting that many already take the victory for Joshua as a given, but we must not forget that Joshua’s chin has not yet been tested. Dillian Whyte will be eager to test Joshua’s resistance, and we are yet to see how Britain’s new darling of boxing will handle that.

For the sake of British boxing, we should hope Fury turns up in good shape next month in order to maximize his chances of victory. His tough fighting spirit and supreme optimism makes it likely he will put up his best possible performance in an attempt to wrest the title from the reigning Klitschko. However, unless he looks good even in the probable event of victory, the British public in general will not accept him until he faces the likes of Anthony Joshua. Joshua does not have the ring experience of Tyson Fury right now, but he certainly is the star attraction in the UK at the moment.