10. STARTING OUT
As coach Sean Murphy remembers it, he reckoned Anthony Joshua was ready to make his amateur boxing debut in November 2008 – and other coaches at Finchley and District ABC weren’t so sure. Murphy was right. Joshua won his debut, in a function room at The Boston Arms pub in Tufnell Park, inside a round and celebrated with a pint of Guinness.
9. CHAMPION
Joshua won the ABA super-heavyweight title in 2010 with a first-round stoppage of Dominic Winrow (Manx) in the final. He was reportedly offered a £50,000 signing-on fee to turn professional and turned it down. “I didn’t take up the sport for money,” he said, “I want to win medals.”
8. BEATING CAMARELLE
Roberto Camarelle, two-time world champion and Olympic champion, was the man to beat at the 2011 World Championships in Azerbaijan – and Joshua beat him. He was a 15-13 points winner over the Italian southpaw in the last eight – and went on to win silver, losing a controversial verdict to Magomedrasul Medzhidov (Azerbaijan).
7. OLYMPIC GOLD
The Olympics came to London and Joshua delivered on the big stage – just. In the opening round, he edged out Erislandy Savon 17-16 and there was a 15-13 win over Ivan Dychko in the semi-finals before a countback victory over Camarelle for the gold medal. The Italians lodged an appeal, but the verdict stood.
6. TURNING PRO
Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy were the favourites to sign Joshua – until Robert McCracken convinced him Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom was the right route to take. Joshua was matched with 8-0 Italian Emanuele Leo on his pro debut – and chinned him inside a round.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zu4X443-NEE
5. KNOCKING OUT MR DURABLE
Two things we knew about Kevin Johnson. One, he could talk a good fight and two, he took everyone rounds, from Vitali Klitschko to Tyson Fury. He did talk a good fight – he said he would fight Joshua with his hands down because he had no power – and he did give him rounds. But only one and a half. Granted, Johnson was 35 and wasn’t spending as much time in the gym as he might, but Joshua whacking him out inside a couple of rounds still sent out a statement.
4. PAY-PER-VIEW STAR
The Board ordered Joshua to meet Dillian Whyte for the vacant British heavyweight title – and given Joshua’s rising profile and his previous with Whyte, Sky Sports made the fight pay per view. The ill feeling between Joshua and Whyte lingered from an amateur bout Whyte won when they were both novices. They had to be kept apart by Kevin Johnson after bumping into each other at a Wladimir Klitschko camp in Austria and during the build up to this fight, there were ugly scenes at a Sky Sports promotional shoot, instigated by Joshua, according to eyewitnesses. In the ring, Joshua overcame a wobble to win in seven rounds.
3. WORLD CHAMPION
Eddie Hearn sent Joshua a text message suggesting a world-title challenge. ‘Let’s roll,’ was Joshua instant reply and for around £3 million, Charles Martin agreed to come to London in April, 2016 to defend his IBF belt. Joshua started the fight a heavy favourite to beat the southpaw from the States and in the second, he got his feet and timing right to drop Martin three times with right hands. Joshua was world champion after 16 fights and the record books showed that only Leon Spinks (eighth), Michael Bentt (12th), James J Corbett (13th) and James J Jeffries (14th) had won a version of the world heavyweight championship in fewer fights.
https://youtu.be/Cb6MXB3x9FM
2. THE BIG ONE
The Sun leaked the story. If Joshua beat Eric Molina, an absolute certainty reckoned the bookmakers, he would then fight Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, April 29, 2017. Joshua knocked out Molina in three rounds and Klitschko ducked between the ropes to officially announce the fight.
10. That Uppercut
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEFFDMUdKU8