Heavyweight Anthony Joshua becomes Britain’s best
Last night, Anthony Joshua beat Dillian Whyte to become the new British Heavyweight Champion in front of a packed house at the O2 Arena. Joshua’s first real test in the division since turning professional proved to be successful, ending the fight by knockout in the seventh round.
Joshua, who became an Olympic Champion at London 2012, had completed 14 bouts previously since turning professional. All ended in third round knockouts, with Joshua proving incredibly dominant and powerful. Joshua’s 15th fight saw him take on Dillian Whyte for the British title.
Whyte proved a tough opponent, taking Joshua past the third round for the first time. Whyte stood up to huge blows and also landed some himself to make the matchup competitive. However Joshua stopped his opponent with a hook to the temple followed by a stunning uppercut, claiming the British Heavyweight crown and retaining the Commonwealth belt in the process.
Joshua will most likely be looking to defend his titles against former British champ and heavyweight stalwart Derek Chisora before looking to progress further towards a world title attempt, a shot his talent surely deserves.
However, speaking to Radio 5 live, Joshua made it clear that patience was the key, stating: “A world title fight is still far away. Becoming an elite athlete in such a tough sport, it doesn’t happen overnight but I’ve got the desire, ambition and the team around me to do it but I don’t want to rush it because when I get there, I want to stay there.”
Britain has a true hero in Joshua and a man who has all the skills to be the best in the business. With Tyson Fury showing the way after recently obtaining the WBA and WBO Heavyweight titles, Joshua has a marker to replicate and better.
Much will become clearer next year after Wladimir Klitschko’s rematch with Fury, but overall, the heavyweight division is heating up nicely with WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder also in the mix. 2016 will be a great year for heavyweight boxing especially.
