Editor’s note: This article was originally published in December.
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Anthony Joshua has crammed a lot of drama into a relatively short amateur career and 24 professional bouts.
A.J. has won an Olympic gold medal, captured a pro world title at only 26, survived a spirted effort against an all-time great, lost his championship in one of the sport’s greatest upsets and then rebounded to become a titleholder again.
It definitely hasn’t been boring.
Joshua returns to the ring against Kubrat Pulev in defense of his three major titles Saturday at SSE Arena in London (DAZN), a fight that could lead to more drama: a showdown with countryman and fellow titleholder Tyson Fury next year.
In this article, we look back on Joshua’s career and give you five fights that have defined him.
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ROBERTO CAMMARELLE
When: Aug. 12, 2012
Where: Excel London, London (Olympics)
Result: 18-18 (decided by countback)
Background: Joshua became a star, at least in the U.K., before he threw a punch as a professional. A.J. had a reported 43 amateur fights when he stepped into the ring to face defending Olympic champion Roberto Cammarelle in the super heavyweight gold medal match in the London Games. Cammarelle, capable and experienced, built a lead after two rounds but a determined Joshua battled back and evened the score by the final bell. The winner was decided by a countback, in which the scores of all five judges (not just the three median scores) are taken into account. The 22-year-old from Watford was the Olympic champion in the Games’ most-glamourous division, which gave him an enormous head start in a professional career that began in October of 2013. He wasn’t just a successful amateur making the transition to the paid ranks. He was Anthony Joshua, gold medalist. Of course, with that name recognition comes pressure to have great success. He would feel the full weight of that pressure in 2019.
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CHARLES MARTIN
When: April 9, 2016
Where: O2 Arena, London
Result: KO 2
Background: This was more of a coronation than a competitive fight. Charles Martin was making the first defense of his IBF title, which he won by knockout in his previous fight against Vyacheslav Glazkov less than three months earlier. He would have one of the shortest title reigns – 85 days — in heavyweight history. Martin was overmatched and quickly overwhelmed against Joshua, going down twice from right hands to the head in the second round and failing to make it out of the round. Just like that, Joshua fulfilled his destiny in only his 16th professional fight. And he was everything he was billed to be – fast, athletic, explosive and as powerful as any heavyweight since countryman Lennox Lewis ruled the division a generation earlier. He was the best big man in the world and it seemed as if he’d hold that position well into the future. Three fights later it all almost came crashing down.
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WLADIMIR KLITSCHKO
When: April 29, 2017
Where: SSE Arena, London
Result: TKO 11
Background: Klitschko, 41, seemed to be finished as an elite heavyweight after his one-sided decision loss to Tyson Fury the previous November. However, the former long-reigning champion, whipped himself into prime condition to give it one more go against an opponent he thought would be less elusive and more willing to engage than Fury was. He was right. And he took advantage. Klitschko got up from a fifth-round knockdown to put Joshua on the canvas – and hurt him — in the sixth with a vintage right hand. A younger Klitschko might’ve been able to finish him off; this version couldn’t. Five rounds later, in the 11th, it was Joshua who ended the fight early. He put Klitschko down twice and the fight was stopped with the old champion’s back against the ropes and taking unanswered punches. Joshua had his biggest victory. And he proved he could overcome adversity, although he wouldn’t be able to do so four fights later.
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ANDY RUIZ JR. I
When: June 1, 2019
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York
Result: TKO L 7
Background: Late replacement Andy Ruiz Jr. had no chance to win this fight. The chubby American, as much as a 30-1 underdog, had some ability and quick hands but he was in the ring with the best heavyweight in the business. Then came a crazy Round 3 and Joshua would never be the same. The champion put Ruiz down with a left hook less than a minute into the round, prompting TV analyst Chris Mannix to say, “Anthony Joshua is a composed and ferocious finisher. Watch this.” Watch this, indeed. Ruiz took a big right and then, moments later, landed a left hook to side of Joshua’s head that shook him badly. A few punches later the discombobulated champion was down. He never fully recovered. Joshua fought bravely the next few rounds but went down two more times in Round 7 and, with no answers to Ruiz’s onslaught, he more or less gave up. Referee Michael Griffin stopped the fight at 1:27 of the round, making Ruiz the heavyweight champ and raising serious questions about Joshua.
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ANDY RUIZ JR. II
When: Dec. 7, 2019
Where: Diriyah Arena, Diriyah, Saudi Arabia
Result: UD 12
Background: Joshua’s career as an elite heavyweight was on the line in this fight. A second consecutive loss to Ruiz would be difficult to overcome; a victory, particularly a clear one, would allow him to regain his titles and a good portion of the status he lost the first time around. He took no chances. Joshua boxed more than he fought, using his height, superior skill set and athleticism to win rounds and ultimately the fight by a clear decision – 118-110, 118-110 and 119-109 — against an ill-prepared opponent who came in 15½ pounds heavier than he had in the first fight. Joshua was champion again, he had reclaimed at least some of the momentum he had established after winning the gold medal, he was back on track. But what are we to make of this cautious Joshua? Is this the fighter we will see going forward? We’ll get a better idea about that when he steps into the ring to face Kubrat Pulev on Saturday.
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