Anthony Joshua is on the Precipice of a New Era for Heavyweight Championship
By: Matthew N. Becher
Anthony Joshua has all the goods. He is an Olympic Gold Medalist, undefeated professional with all of his wins (18) coming by way of the Knockout. He is handsome, well-spoken and generally liked by all that see him. This Saturday, as he takes on Wladamir Klitschko in front of a record crowd of 90,000 at the famed Wembley Stadium, Joshua will have the chance to not only unify the heavyweight division, by defending his IBF title and pick up the WBA belt that was vacated by Tyson Fury, but he will also be able to begin a new era in the Heavyweight division. An era that has long been stagnated by the nearly decade reign by Klitschko. A reign that has turned off many fans of the most prestige’s title in all of sports. Joshua is on the doorstep to changing all of that.
In the last 10 years alone, we have had a total of 14 different Heavyweight champions. Here is the List of names; Shannon Briggs, Ruslan Chagaev, Sultan Ibragimov, Wladamir Klitschko, Samuel Peter, Nikolai Valuev, Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Bername Stiverne, Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Charles Martin, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker.
If you were to ask a casual fan, they would not be able to recognize more then 2-3 names on that list. Most diehard fans would like to forget the likes of Ibragimov, Peter, Valuev and Stiverne.
The Heavyweights usually run the show in boxing. They generate the hype, the glitz, the glamour. They get the magazine covers, the late night talk show interviews, they are internationally recognized. Unfortunately that has not been the case for this era. From the times of Liston, Ali, Frazier and Foreman, to the days of Tyson, Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis the Heavyweights have taken a complete nose dive from the top of the sports world. This has to do with an abundance of sanctioned belts to the reign of both Wladamir and Vitali Klitschko, whose styles were less than fan friendly.
With the mega fight between Joshua and Klitschko taking place this weekend, the young champion Joshua has a tremendous chance to start a new reign at the top of the Division. With the likes of Wilder of the United States, Tyson Fury of the UK and a possible handful of other young talents, the big men will have a chance to battle for all time legendary status.
With Joshua attempting to slay the old King that is the 41 yr. old Klitschko, this new era could become a reality this Saturday in London.
Do not get me wrong here, Klitschko is very much still a possibility to win this fight and add another chapter to his hall of fame, legendary career, but what I am saying, is that this could just as well start a bigger dynamic if Anthony Joshua can prove that he is just as good as we may believe he is.
Saturday night live on Showtime 5pm/ET and a replay on HBO 10pm/ET we will see just how good the young lion from England can be. History will be made either way, and a new era of the Heavyweight throne will be decided.