By Chevy Jackson
Anthony Joshua is another media hyped fighter. I am not saying this to purposely insult him, but just calling it how I see it. He reminds me of Manny Pacquiao, another muscular media darling who got exposed when he stepped up in competition.
Joshua recently beat up a paper champion in Charles Martin. Martin previously won a vacant IBF belt from a guy who suffered a freak knee injury and got the stoppage win that way. Martin was used as a sacrificial lamb to make Joshua look good and now the UK is going to hold another belt hostage.
As I watched the bout which was stopped in two rounds and all I saw was a ref stopping the fight when the man wasn’t even hurt and getting up easily. Martin wasn’t even hurt, he was just regaining his composure from a flash knockdown and stood back up right before the final count and the ref waves the fight off to make Joshua look good padding his record with another stoppage.
I know a couple of British guys who keep telling me that Joshua and Tyson Fury are the real deal, they take shots at American Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, but I will say this if either of these UK champions ever have the courage to step to the plate and face the Bronze Bomber they will get knocked out and it won’t be a controversial ref stoppage over a guy who was barely hurt. Whenever Wilder touches guys clean they go down hard, Joshua is just a big muscle bound guy who used his brute size to beat guys, and most of his KO’s are not legit devastating one punch KO’s.
Deontay Wilder the real champion holds the WBC strap, and he is fighting a real live dangerous opponent in Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin, in Povetkin’s own backyard. Joshua is going to do what many British champions of the past have done, hold the belts hostage, stay domestic and rarely travel to the USA to fight the best. Joshua is going to make good money just filling up stadiums in the UK and making some good money there, but what good is that going to do for his legacy if he doesn’t have the intention to fight in the United States against a real threat like Deontay Wilder?
I think Joshua will just defend his belt against over the hill fighters or low ranked heavyweights tailor-made for him to look good in England. I hope he fights some credible opponents, if he does that or fights overseas under adversity, I will be the first to give him recognition.
