ANTHONY JOSHUA
Who Is Anthony Joshua?
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua is a United Kingdom-based professional boxer who holds the title of unified world heavyweight champion. At the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and a number of other international athletic competitions, he has been a successful representative of the United Kingdom. In the beginning, Joshua was an athlete and a football player. It wasn’t until he was in his late teens that he started boxing too.
Over the course of his life, he went from being a disturbed youngster to a well-established professional. Throughout his amateur career, he was able to maintain an unbeaten and stellar record because of his exceptional physical abilities. At the Olympic Games held in London in 2012, he won the best medal. Because of his remarkable rise from the amateur ranks to the world championships, he is now recognized as a formidable puncher and a competitor of the highest caliber.
Joshua has successfully conquered four of the six heavyweight belts that are available on the globe. He was also a contender for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award earlier this year. The fact that he competes in high-profile bouts with huge stakes and draws record-breaking viewership and views is why he has earned a reputation for himself.
The Formative Years of Anthony Joshua
- Birth and Childhood
On October 15, 1989, in the town of Watford, Hertfordshire, Anthony Joshua was born to Joseph Joshua and Yeta Joshua. It was in Nigeria, where he was born, that he spent the majority of his boyhood. When his parents divorced and his mother made the decision to relocate when he was five years old, he was a child. The Kings Langley Secondary School was his school upon his return to Watford.
On account of the fact that his middle name was Oluwafemi, his classmates and teachers gave him the nickname “Femi.” By breaking the record for the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.6 seconds, he demonstrated that he had a lot of potential as a sprinter.
Anthony Joshua was also quite good at football and athletics when he was younger. While he was working as a bricklayer, he eventually became engrossed in boxing. The Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in Barnet was the destination that his cousin Ben Lleyemi took him to. He quickly started training as a boxer there, which turned out to be a pivotal moment in his life.
Anthony Joshua’s Career
On two separate occasions, in 2009 and 2010, Anthony Joshua was victorious in the Haringey Boxing Cup. It was a resounding triumph for him to win all 18 of his contests at the amateur level during his twenties. The Senior ABA Championships were among the games that were won. He declined the offer of fifty thousand pounds to become a professional worker. Both Eric Berechlin and Chathal McMonagle were defeated by him during the European Amateur Boxing Championships that took place in June of 2011. Mihai Nistor, a Romanian, however, was the one who interrupted him.
Anthony Joshua was a member of the Great Britain Boxing Team and quickly became the champion of the Great Britain Amateur Boxing Championships. He was able to secure a spot at the Olympic Games in 2012 as a result of his achievement at the World Amateur Boxing Championships in 2011.
In 2011, the Boxing Writers Club of Great Britain recognized him as the Amateur Boxer of the Year. He had a record of 40-3 in his amateur career and was awarded the title. His first visit to the London Olympics was secured with a gold medal in 2012 when he defeated Roberto Cammarelle of Italy in the super heavyweight division. This victory came despite the fact that he was a novice on the world stage.
After signing with Matchroom Sport in October 2013, Joshua made his debut in the professional ranks. The subsequent three years saw him win all 19 of his battles without suffering a single defeat. When he was 24 years old, he won the title of WBC International Heavyweight Champion. Following that, he went on to win the heavyweight title of the Commonwealth in 2015 by defeating Gary Cornish. On a later occasion, he successfully defended this championship by defeating Dillian Whyte, albeit with a few minor setbacks.
Following that, in 2016, he won his first world title by defeating Charles Martin, who was the heavyweight champion of the International Boxing Federation. He fought Dominic Breazeale and prevailed in order to defend this title. He was successful. Over the course of 2017, he faced Eric Molina in what would turn out to be his second defense of his IBF title. Joshua’s winning streak continued, and the number of people who watched his matches on average only continued to rise.
In April of 2017, it was confirmed that the highly anticipated fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will take place at Wembley Stadium. The vacant WBA Super Heavyweight title was going to be for them to contend for. In front of a crowd of ninety thousand people, Joshua triumphed in this battle with striking skill. The most significant fight that Joshua ever competed in was the one he had with Klitschko. With only three defeats in his professional career, Klitschko was considered to be a boxing royalty. There was a chance that Joshua would lose his record of not losing in front of his home audience.
After eleven rounds, Anthony Joshua emerged victorious in the match. It was anticipated that Klitschko and he would engage in a rematch; however, Klitschko made the announcement on August 3, 2017, that he would be retiring from boxing, putting an end to the speculation that he would contest him again. On the following date, Anthony Joshua was scheduled to defend his WBA title against Kubrat Pulev.
Despite this, Carlos Takam took over for Pulev as a result of numerous injuries. Due to the fact that more than 70,000 tickets had already been purchased, this sparked a commotion. On the other hand, at the day of the bout, supporters flocked to the stadium in large numbers to watch Joshua successfully defend his title.
Following that, he would compete against Joseph Parker for the highest pay of his career, which was £18 million. At the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, the fight was supposed to take place on January 8th, 2018. Joshua was victorious in his WBO championship defense, which was a battle that was packed with drama. His WBA, IBF, and IBO belts were all kept by him as well.
- Awards and Honors
Anthony Joshua was honored with the title of Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the year 2003. In appreciation of his contributions to boxing for his native nation, this was presented to him.
A Look Inside Anthony Joshua’s Personal Life
As a result of his relationship with Nicole Osborne, a pole dance instructor whom he has known since school, Anthony Joshua is the father of a son named Joseph Bayley Temiloluwa Prince Joshua. Jointly, they are responsible for the duties associated with Joseph. At the moment, he resides in the council flat that houses his mother. He has stated that he enjoys reading and playing chess, and he has also mentioned that these activities provide him with an advantage in boxing.
- Controversies
Amir Khan alleged that Joshua had a connection with his former spouse, Farval Makhdoom. However, Joshua refuted the rumor and asserted that he had not encountered Farval at all.
A few run-ins with the law have also occurred in his life. First, he was taken into custody for fighting, and he was committed to Reading prison in 2007. Subsequently, in March 2011, he was taken into custody for possessing cannabis with the purpose of selling it. He was given a community service commitment for a period of twelve months and one hundred hours of unpaid labor instead of a jail sentence.
Some Fascinating Facts to Note About Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua is honored with a mailbox made of gold in Watford. As a celebration of his triumph at the Olympic Games in 2012, this was installed by the Royal Mail.
On the right side of his arm, he has a tattoo that depicts the African continent. A particular emphasis has been placed on Nigeria, the nation in which his parents were born.
At the well-known restaurant Nando’s, he possesses a Black Card, which grants him and his pals the privilege of receiving complimentary meals at Nando’s for an entire year. David Beckham and Ed Sheeran are two such individuals who hold this card.
He was victorious in defending the heavyweight titles of the International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organisation (IBO), World Boxing Organisation (WBO), and World Boxing Association (WBA). He was also victorious in the vacant heavyweight belts of the Commonwealth and the United Kingdom.
Both he and the creators of BXR have made investments in a fitness gym that is exclusive to subscribers. In January 2017, the fitness center was founded on Chiltern Street in London. Along with the most qualified trainers, instructors, and equipment, the gym provides cutting-edge training facilities for its members.
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