What Is Anthony Joshua's Legacy?

I think AJ is talented and pretty entertaining - and with his combination of athleticism, size and power, would have been a risky opponent for just about anyone. In my opinion, he’s been a welcome addition to the heavyweight mix, over the last few years.

But beyond that…not sure his legacy is going to resonate through the ages. If it’s fair to say that AJ, Fury, Wilder and Usyk have been the big names of the last few years, the fact is that AJ hasn’t fought Wilder or Fury and lost to Usyk twice. Sure, a Fury fight might still be on the table, but it won’t mean as much at this stage. In terms of the fights he has had, his performances have been a little inconsistent, and not many of his opponents themselves have CVs worth shouting about (well, not including Wlad, though he was pretty old and shopworn by the time AJ got to him).

 

2 time HW champion
Won WBA, WBO, IBF HW titles in 3 separate bouts
Won 2 unification bouts
Beat 3 reigning world champions
Was recognised as #1 HW for a while
9-4-0 in world title fights

Seemed to try and make the big fights and face all comers

One of the top HWs of his generation and arguably the top for a period of time

 

Probably the only man in history that thinks Joshua’s HGH gut was clean. ^^^^

 

Nobody remembers these kinds of things and if they do remember them they realize why they are tainted. Beat 3 reigning champions? No he didn't. AJ has never beat a REAL reigning champion. He was not recognized at #1 that was disputed against Wilder who had claim to it unless AJ winning multiple vacant belts against a retired grandad supersedes which it doesn't.

Being a x2 champion doesn't count as an achievement when you lost your belts only to win them back in a rematch against McDonalds poster boy. embarrassing to run around that ring claiming he was a 2x champ. Thankgod Dubious chinned the bum off otherwise he would have aligned himself next to Ali as a 3x champ which is NOT equivalent. Ali was a legit bonified 3x champion with no concessions.

I couldn't tell you how many belts or titles Ali won. But I could tell you who he beat and how he beat them and what made them significant wins or not.

Sad state of affairs that in modern boxing that anyone who might be a multiple world champ you know there is probably NO FACE VALUE to that.

 

He entertained. That’s most important to me.

In the Netherlands there is this saying “High trees catch a lot of wind” that’s particularly true of Joshua. He has a Boxing career most people that ever put on a pair of gloves are envious of.

 

Joshua was rated for a while
It was when Fury was champion and Wladimir was rated as #1.
Joshua beat Wladimir to become #1. Fury was removed from the ratings due to inactivity.
Joshua was rated at #1 at that time

As for not beating a champion he beat the fighters that held the titles (one for a vacant title), so beat champions.

With that logic, it's like saying Wilder wasn't a champion when Fury beat him because he won the title from a fighter who won a vacant title.

Tell me if Fury wouldn't defend those titles how was anyone supposed to challenge him to win them?
Please answer that

 

Wladimir Klitschko’s last opponent.

Being in a few high profile fights.

Entertaining the boxing public with comical knockout losses and post-fight meltdowns.

 

Very close to Fury's. Clusters with Patterson, Walcott, Norton, Bowe, Schmeling, VitKlit. He actually has more goods wins, but also more losses, and Fury has the single best win in the better version of Klitschko.

They are neck and neck.

 

Why not say that all 3 were vacant? Parker won a vacant belt too, he just had two title defenses before facing Joshua.

At least Joshua went for it. He beat the IBF paper champion. He then won the WBA belt by beating Wlad, who had been in camp and not just sitting idly for 17 months. And then there was Parker.
Wtf did anyone else in the division do? Nothing.

It´s ridiculous to how high of a standard Joshua is held. Fans will really tear his resume apart and act as if he did nothing at all.

 

Similar to Furys. A stop gap between the eras of Wlad and Usyk.

 

I'd say AJ was a very respectable champion who held on to multiple belts much longer than most champs ever have. No, he wasn't as memorable as Marciano, Ali, or Mike Tyson. He didn't have too many truly legendary battles that people will go back and watch again, or a string of truly explosive first round KOs. But he did have a very respectable career with several years at the top, and he gave us at least a few entertaining fights. I think history will see him as an above average heavyweight champ, but not as one of the legends of the sport.

 

Yeah, and all Fury did was eat boar tripe and chitlins. LOL

 

On paper you cannot deny, its a solid career.

 

His in ring legacy is he was a good not great fighter who was one of the best of his (fairly weak) era. For all the criticisms of his resume, out of the "big 3" (before Usyk made it the big 4) of him, Fury and Wilder he was the one who fought solid competition most frequently and padded his record the least. I do think he was likely better than Bruno (considering all the comparisons) and probably would have beaten him head to head.

His legacy on a commercial level is that he was a ****ing huge star and, although some may not like to admit it, him on the come up and fighting Wlad was the initial driving force behind the commercial revival of the HW division. Both Fury and Wilder rode on his coat tails to some degree by attaching themselves to his name when he was the golden goose.