In the build-up to his next fight, Anthony Joshua has been asked to list his top heavyweights of all time.
Joshua has been of one of Britain’s defining heavyweights over the last decade. He burst onto the global stage by winning Olympic gold in London back in 2012, a landmark win that foreshadowed an impressive rise through the pro ranks.
After turning professional in 2013, Joshua went on an impressive run of KOs and quickly captured the IBF heavyweight title in April 2016 after knocking out Charles Martin. He unified with an 11th round KO of Wladimir Klitschko and despite a shock upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, he regained his titles later that year in the rematch.
Since then he has lost to the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and, most recently, Daniel Dubois for the IBF title in his last fight back in September 2024, but returns to the ring in December to aim for the top once more.
Speaking to Fight Hype, ‘AJ’ was asked for his rundown of his top five heavyweights.
“Obviously, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, I don’t want to pick the usual heavyweights. Myself, Mike Tyson. Emmanuel Steward said that there are not many fighters that make 6ft6 box like they’re 5ft11, that have 6ft6 guys rolling their heads, wearing black shorts.
“Mike Tyson was a generational icon, not just for his boxing skill, his aura, his psychology. I like Jim Corbett cause he taught me about the power of PR and marketing and how to play your position in heavyweight boxing.”
Joshua’s next opponent, Jake Paul, sure has done that. Despite being just 13 fights into his career, he has manoeuvred himself into a position where he is now taking on one of the sport’s biggest names for what could be one of its biggest purses.
