There’s been a bit of contention on this, but, is Anthony Joshua the next big thing in boxing? His fight tonight probably won’t tell us much.
Tonight heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua goes back to work against Carlos Takam of France. A man he’s expected to comfortably beat, in truth.
Certainly going by the odds makers.
That’s not taking anything away from Carlos Takam mind you. An excellent fighter who will come to win. That’s just the popular consensus ahead of tonight’s bout.
But should Joshua get past Takam in convincing fashion as expected, what next?
For Joshua to truly be considered the next ‘big thing’ in boxing he’ll need to frequently take on the division’s best and put in exciting performances like the one he did back in April against Wladimir Klitschko.
Unifying all the heavyweight belts and beating the likes of Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker and possibly David Haye is what will be needed in reality over the coming years for Joshua to warrant such a title as ‘the next big thing in boxing’.
He has plenty of time on his side to do this, mind you.
But boxing on average of twice a year over the next few years his handlers will have to ensure his fights are against opponents the public are genuinely interested in.
