Although the man himself is committed to a process of evolution under new trainer Derrick James, a common wish for UK fight fans is to see the “old” Anthony Joshua.
This nostalgic desire was set to swell next Saturday, when Joshua was slated to face old foe Dillian Whyte at the O2 Arena in London, seven and a half years on from their December 2015 barnburner.
But news that Whyte has failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping 0 (VADA) test means seeing any version of Joshua at all will do on August 12. Promoter Eddie Hearn and Joshua’s handlers are believed to be seeking a late replacement so the show can go ahead, while Whyte — who has protested his innocence — finds his reputation in potentially unsalvageable tatters after the third adverse finding of his career.
It feels like a moot point at this stage — after a long and gruelling training camp, he has every right to be seething — but Joshua had been relaxed and pleasant company when carrying out his pre-fight media obligations, delving back into the Olympic golden-boy playbook.
The 33-year-old was laid-back and good-humoured, in contrast to the pensive and tetchy version who boxed to a wide, if forgettable, points win over Jermaine Franklin in April. Earlier this year, the scars of back-to-back defeats to the masterful Oleksandr Usyk appeared to be worn heavily.
During a media call that ran past half an hour this week — one that was conducted before news of Whyte’s failed test — plenty of levity returned; so much so that it felt fair game for one reporter to playfully ask Joshua which boxers he would invite to his house for a barbeque 10 years from now, hypothetically and happily basking in retirement.
“F***ing hell, there aren’t many, are there,” he chuckled, amid reeling off an unlikely quartet of Luke Campbell, Natasha Jonas, Richard Riakporhe and Derek Chisora.
But what about a heavyweight dinner table and the prospect of Joshua knocking back beers with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Whyte, and WBC champion Tyson Fury?
When prompted, there was an invitation for Klitschko, almost certainly the kind of solid citizen who brings both his own drinks and extra burger buns in case you’re running short. But then the expression hardened a touch.
“Look, we’re all subject to change, but where I stand now, f*** them, no way,” Joshua said. “They can never come to my barbecue. No way. I don’t like them at all.”
After a pause, the mega-watt smile flashed and Joshua joked about his broadcaster DAZN stumping up the cash for him to tuck into a back-garden feast with his enemies.
Anthony Joshua
If you’re a boxing fan, you might have one of several opinions on Anthony Joshua, but you’ve definitely got one. After more than a decade as public property, he’s been viewed — sometimes all at once — as the sort of crossover star who can preserve boxing’s dwindling mainstream relevance and a protected hype job who has been “found out”, whatever you take that to mean.
Joshua might have uprooted himself to train in Dallas under the educated eye of James, who he believes has breathed new life into his career after a run of three defeats in five outings, but he is seemingly well aware of how he and his contemporaries are perceived.
From his point of view, Joshua’s battle for approval in the court of public opinion is one of diminishing returns. By contrast, he feels Fury, who engaged in failed public negotiations with Joshua and unified champion Usyk before agreeing to fight MMA star Francis Ngannou in a money-spinning exhibition, gets an easy ride.
“Fury was apparently the greatest of all time and I know for a fact, from a historical point of view, there is no way he can be classed as the greatest of all time,” Joshua said. “Just from a resume point of view, a world-title defences point of view, there’s no way. It’s just crazy.
“I can go and fight Deontay Wilder and they’ll say, ‘Right, he fought champions, he fought former champions, he fought the best the heavyweight division had to offer in his era. But yeah, he’s a bum. We don’t really respect him’.
“One thing I find interesting when it comes to me is it’s Anthony Joshua versus this one; Anthony Joshua versus that one; Anthony Joshua versus that one. Fury versus whoever he wants, Wilder sits silent for two years after he fought [Robert] Helenius. But I’ve got to fight everyone.”
At this moment in time, we’re in the far-from-ideal situation of Anthony Joshua versus any warm body. Considering the wider context of his rebuild under James, it feels important he gets out and chalks up a solid win in the most meaningful fight possible. Then, Joshua will be a step closer to genuinely being able to say he fought everyone.
It remains a huge squandered opportunity that he and Wilder did not meet when they held all four major belts between them and were each unbeaten. Andy Ruiz Jr.,, Usyk, and Fury have all done their bit when it comes to knocking the shine off both men, but Joshua vs. Wilder remains a huge draw and a fight purportedly in the works as another Saudi Arabian extravaganza in December this year or January 2024.
Come through that, and an all-British blockbuster with Fury would again feel natural, with a place in history secured. If that sounds inarguable, Joshua’s time in his brutal trade has brought heavyweight levels of scepticism.
“I will challenge anyone and I would fight [Wilder] 100 percent, but it doesn’t do anything for my respect in the industry,” he said.
“That’s why I said sometimes I just do it for the money because I feel like the respect is not given. So, I’m just like, ‘F*** it, then. I’ll just do it for the money because I’m not getting the respect.'”
Mutual respect has unquestionably formed quickly between Joshua and his latest trainer James, with a repeat of the bitter fallout that has followed his split with Robert Garcia feeling highly unlikely.
Basing his training camps in the United States — where he followed Errol Spence from Texas to Las Vegas, continuing to tick over prior to his stablemate’s defeat to Terence Crawford — has allowed Joshua to immerse himself in a rich tradition of heavyweight boxing.
“You’re around a lot of elite fighters in America because that’s the home of Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Jack Dempsey, and things have been passed on from not too many generations ago when those people were walking into the gym and giving pointers,” he said.
“In the UK, someone says if I lose, I should retire, and Derrick was like, ‘What do they mean you should retire?’. The UK hasn’t got such a big pool of elite fighters.
“So, we need to support each other and uplift our people that are competing because otherwise we’re going to keep on running away to America to look for more information about how to cope at the top level, how to cope with losses.
“I feel like America is good because of the amount of information and resources I can get my hands on out there.”
All of this knowledge and experience will only sharpen Joshua’s sense of his place in history — something he at least still has in his powerful hands. It’s more than can be said for Whyte, whose unforgivably familiar setback means a solid career in the ring will be forever cast in the dim light of suspicion.
