I HAVE DONE IT, I came up with an ingenious yet simple way that Anthony Joshua can fight his way back to the top of the heavyweight division, or at least be a threat to it: Anthony, you are six foot six inches tall and It’s time to start boxing like him.
There is still time for you to develop a jab that is worthy of your elite physique and heavyweight status. One you should be using to compensate and punish opponents, manage distance, and literally win fights. A reliable right hand to back up a world-class jab would surely add to his current offering. As basic as these punches are, they are literally staples of heavyweights who are orthodox and 6-foot-4 or taller, like you. They simply should be part of your arsenal. Without them, you are negating the advantages that God has given you.
Fighting the ‘big man fight’ is what Lennox Lewis tweeted when Joshua failed to beat Oleksandr Uysk in their first fight. I totally agree, but I would go further and suggest that Joshua should fight the ‘big man fight’ for the rest of his career, no matter who is in the opposite corner.
Coincidentally, boxing this way helped Lewis become not only one of the greatest heavyweights in history, but also one of the most dominant. When I fought him in 1992, he was an undefeated, aggressive boxer-puncher who fought with a wide stance, often crouching while attacking, and was eager to drop both hands, sometimes wildly, and attack his opponents.
However, the loss changes more than just a fighter’s record. By the time he became the WBC belt holder again in 1997, avenging his loss to Oliver McCall, Lewis had mastered how to win fights differently and, in his terms, on his own.
With his fundamentals and in-ring IQ enhanced by working with Emanuel Steward, Lewis no longer forced the action to come out with big shots. Instead, he optimized his height, reach, and intelligence in the ring, making opponents see and feel every part of his 6-foot-5, 250-pound, 84-inch-reach frame.
Lewis developed his jab to a point where it became metronomic, throwing it similar to how a fencer would wield a saber: establishing distance, testing, controlling the pace and launching opponents with it, eventually creating openings for that right hand that change the fight. Wladimir Klitschko followed the formula. Taking on Steward as a trainer, who again narrowed the fighter’s focus to dominance, control, distance and timing with his jab and his massive frame. This approach also helped both of them maintain their longevity at the highest level.
There were critics from the American public who wanted more drama from their heavyweights, but there was a compelling rationale for boxing this way: It was highly effective. With Steward in their corner, Lewis and Klitshcko, both super heavyweight Olympic champions like Joshua, were 16-1-1 and 16-1 respectively, with all the blemishes rectified in the rematches. Opponents were forced to orbit around his sheer size, unable to get past his primary weapons, the left jab and big right hand. Similar adjustments should be made against Joshua. However, it was he who had to react to Usyk, in both fights; about thinking and spending valuable energy trying to match the Ukrainian virtuoso, step by step.
There’s no guarantee that Joshua executing a functional jab and right hand would have beaten Usyk, but a well-timed, polite jab keeps everyone honest in the ring, especially heavyweights, who are generally more familiar with dishing out punishment than avoiding it. An effective right hand is always a difficult obstacle for lefties to handle.
The fact that Joshua has not yet mastered these fundamentals calls into question the decision to abandon his learning cycle and go for a world [IBF] title in his 16th pro fight. After that point all his learning was ‘on the job’, like a champion. The part of his development where he could have been honing his craft against tougher opponents, gaining confidence running 10 or 12 rounds and dealing with adversity along the way was traded for the pot of gold that came with beating a below standard belt: holder at Charles Martin. Possibly there should have been a few more Dillian Whyte-style tests before moving on to world titles.
The jump from beating outmatched opposition and fighting regularly to navigating lucrative world-class stadium events and fighting once a year has seen Joshua’s skill set plateau. He has had the same number of fights (27) in nine years as a pro that Mike Tyson had between his debut in March 1985 and his first world title challenge in November 1986. Tyson had also gone 10 rounds three times in that time. .
It is not surprising that the Joshua we see now hesitates. He wants to attack because that is the nature of him as a boxer and what has brought him success, but this approach has also stung him. But he never learned to rely solely on his boxing to control a fight, so he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place. The result is indecision and an increasingly less assertive fighter.
Before the Usyk rematch, there was a feeling that Joshua needed to fight like he did earlier in his career to win. Maybe so, but part of that ‘lost identity’ and his frustration probably stems from the glaring evidence that his old way of fighting earned him an Olympic gold medal and helped him become a two-time world champion, but not is good enough to win. division elites.
Anthony, if you are willing to step back and adapt to something new and more fundamental, as Lewis and Klitschko did before you, then a new vision of heavyweight boxing awaits you. It doesn’t promise success, but it will make you very difficult to beat. Having a great teacher will only help.
