Friday, March 29, 2024

Two Good, Two Bad: Anthony Joshua fights

Today’s installment of Two Good, Two Bad will see us take a look at the fights of British boxer and heavyweight champion of the world – Anthony Joshua.

Two Good, Two Bad – How does it work?

The premise of Two Good, Two Bad will see the author pick a sport and then select a subtopic such as a team, a league, player or country.

We will then select two of the best and two of the worst examples from over the course of our lifetime – epic or horrendous moments in time we remember for all the right or wrong reasons.

Today, I’m continuing the series with Anthony Joshua’s best and worst fights in his short but storied career so far.

The Best Anthony Joshua fights

Wladimir Klitschko – April 29, 2017

I think a lot of you would agree with me here – as would AJ himself – this was the Best Anthony Joshua fight of his career.

The fight took place in front of 90,000 fans, including me, at Wembley Stadium and the atmosphere was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.

It is arguably the best fight in recent boxing memory with the Fury Wilder rematch being a good contender.

The record-breaking Ukrainian who was likely stepping into the ring one last time going against a fighter teetering on the edge of his prime and looking to prove himself.

Joshua put in the performance of his career in a closely fought bout which saw both fighters knocked down.

There was that infamous Joshua uppercut which was splashed across the papers the following day after he put Klitschko down in the 11th, causing the referee to call it.

It was his toughest fight of his career to that point and will never be forgotten by boxing fans.

Dillian Whyte – December 12, 2015

It’s rare to see Anthony Joshua get as heated in the pre-fight build up as he did with fellow Brit Dillian Whyte.

The pair had a well-chronicled history of beef and so boxing fans couldn’t wait for them to duel it out in the ring.

And Whyte was one of the first opponents to really push Joshua in a fight that had plenty of drama – including a ring invasion by Whyte’s camp at the end of the first round.

READ MORE: Anthony Joshua’s world title defence against Pulev postponed

While Watford-born Joshua dominated Whyte from round to round, the Brixton boxer weathered most of what Joshua had to throw at him.

It wasn’t until the seventh round when Joshua landed a blistering uppercut that left Whyte motionless on the ropes and the fight was called.

The worst Anthony Joshua fights

Joseph Parker – March 31, 2018

It is tough to pick two “worsts” from a man who has only lost one professional bout in his career but the Joseph Parker match-up was definitely not one we will remember in years to come.

The fight was dull by Joshua’s standards and was the first time he was forced to go the distance in a technically clinical victory.

It did see Joshua nab the WBO belt from the New Zealander but critics claimed the match-up was not demanding enough for the Brit to really prove himself.

In his third stadium fight in a row, this time in Cardiff, Joshua stuck behind his jab to dictate the fight and he rarely strayed from his game plan.

It was almost a nervous performance from Joshua who looked constantly fearful of a change in tides which, thankfully, never arrived.

Andy Ruiz Jr – June 2, 2019

In an outcome no one saw coming, Andy Ruiz Jr produced the performance of a lifetime to create the biggest shock in heavyweight boxing histroy.

Joshua was stripped of his IBF, WBO and WBA belts at New York’s Madison Square Garden where Ruiz knocked him down four times before a seventh-round stoppage.

From the start of the fight, Joshua didn’t look himself – impressively Ruiz refused to be put off and instead capitalised on the lack of ferocity from the Brit.

More impressively, Ruiz only took the fight at six week’s notice and the fight left pundits and fans alike asking questions about Joshua’s talent.

It was a painful night for British boxing fans and thankfully a wrong Joshua righted months later when he returned to form in Saudi Arabia.

AJ put on a boxing clinic in a rematch which saw Joshua pushed the distance for the second time in his career.

What do you think? Do you agree or do you have different favourites? Let us know by joining the discussion on Facebook here.

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