Anthony Joshua was once the undisputed star of the heavyweight division. He unified four of the division’s five belts, and lucrative matches against Deontay Wilder and then against Tyson Fury were on the horizon. Ultimately, however, they never came to fruition, and Ukrainian technician Oleksandr Usyk ripped the belts from the giant shoulders of AJ with back-to-back crushing victories.
He then went on to become the undisputed king, narrowly outpointing the Gypsy King earlier this year in Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Joshua has had to go back to the drawing board and rebuild. But rebuild he has, and now he’s ready to reclaim.
Next Fight
Determined to claw his way back to the top, Joshua embarked on a comeback trail that would test both his physical skills and mental fortitude. His next step on that journey is a huge domestic showcase against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois at a sold-out Wembley Stadium. The latest Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois betting odds make the former a huge 1/5 favourite for the clash and victory would bring him one of his old titles back, as the vacant IBF strap will be on the line.
Should AJ emerge victorious, then another undisputed clash against the winner of Usyk vs Fury II is surely on the cards. The latest boxing odds make the talented Ukrainian a narrow 8/15 favourite for that clash, and Joshua may well be hoping it is Fury who springs the upset. But dragging himself back into the title picture wouldn’t have been possible without a victory against Jermaine Franklin at the start of the comeback trail.
Jermaine Franklin
Joshua headed into this April 2023 clash knowing his career was on the line. His American opponent was largely unheard, and AJ hardly set the world alight as he cruised to a unanimous decision victory. But getting the rounds under his belt was crucial for what was to come.
Robert Helenius
Next up, Joshua faced Robert Helenius, a seasoned heavyweight known for his towering presence and power punches. The Finnish contender had recently beaten the highly rated Adam Kownacki by knockout in back-to-back fights, before suffering a devastating knockout loss to Deontay Wilder. He would suffer the same fate again as AJ claimed a seventh-round KO win, bringing his killer instinct back to life in the process.
After his seventh round knockout of Robert Helenius, Anthony Joshua is targeting a fight with Deontay Wilder 🥊
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 13, 2023
🗣️AJ: “I’m just focused on smashing Wilder’s head in now.”
Who would win if Joshua was to fight Wilder? 🤔pic.twitter.com/9OM0Z0wgCE
Otto Wallin
The third step on Joshua’s road to redemption was a matchup with Otto Wallin, a fighter renowned for his grit and determination. The Swede gave Tyson Fury all he could handle in September 2019, very nearly handing the brash Brit his first loss in shocking fashion. Since then, he had reeled off wins against Dominic Breazeale and former cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev. As such, many considered him a live underdog, but AJ would deliver a vicious five-round beatdown before Wallin’s corner ultimately threw in the towel, handing AJ the victory.
Francis Ngannou
Most recently, Joshua faced off against former UFC heavyweight king Francis Ngannou. In his boxing debut six months prior, the Predator dropped Fury and very nearly sprung the biggest upset since Mike Tyson lost to Buster Douglas, ultimately dropping a razor-thin split decision. But with AJ, there was to be no such drama. The Watford-born former champ battered Ngannou from the outset, winning with a vicious knockout in this second round and announcing to the world that he was back in the heavyweight title picture.
