Anthony Joshua is one of the biggest draws in boxing.
His fights sell out venues. He has global appeal, good looks and the physique and stature to command attention and sponsors such as Under Armour and Hugo Boss. That’s a package many would kill for.
But in the ring, none of that matters. In there it’s about skill, talent, heart and desire.
For Anthony Joshua, those qualities are mostly there but not as much as his promoter, Eddie Hearn would hope. That’s why the latter has avoided putting him in the ring with the elites of the division, Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury.
Hearn knows what those of us with keen eyes recognize.
As good as AJ is, he’s not the best heavyweight.
On Saturday, we witnessed that fact once again.
I’m not slighting Anthony Joshua. He deserves credit for what he’s accomplished.
Before Saturday he was an impressive 24-1. He won his first 22 fights before losing his WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO World Heavyweight title belts to Andy Ruiz Jr. in June of 2019 by TKO. Six months later, Joshua got his revenge and reclaimed his titles in a unanimous decision victory over Ruiz.
But suffering a second loss, this time to Oleksandr Usyk, pauses his chances of an immediate shot at the winner of Wilder vs. Fury.
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