“Because of Pride and Ego, He Got Back Up”: Years After Beating Wladimir Klitschko, Anthony Joshua Makes a Bold Statement.

ESPN rated the 2017 bout between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko as the most prominent Heavyweight fight since the 2002 Lennox Lewis vs Mike Tyson bout. “The biggest heavyweight title fight in over a decade” is how the Associated Press described it. Not only commercially successful, but the match also made it to the list of classics, remembered to this day. The bout between the forty-one-year-old Ukrainian and his twenty-seven-year-old British opponent was declared the Fight of the Year by the Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

While Klitschko immediately retired from professional boxing, for young Joshua, it meant another year of defending the titles till the American Andy Ruiz Jr. handed over his first defeat in June 2019. However, while he avenged his loss by the December of that year, his poor luck never left his side. Two consecutive defeats at the hands of another Ukrainian, Oleksandr Usyk instead, raised doubts about whether the enigmatic ‘AJ’ is way past his prime.

Last year, the fans’ excitement ebbed when they learned about the collapse of the fight against reigning champion and fellow Briton Tyson Fury. However, to reclaim his lost glory, Joshua seems to have embarked on a new game plan starting this year.

Dr. Steelhammer rises despite vicious hammering from Anthony Joshua

Come April 1, Anthony Joshua would face American Heavyweight boxer Jermaine Franklin at London’s O2 Arena. As much as he’s busy preparing himself for the comeback fight, ‘AJ’ took time to reflect upon one of his most famous matches, the one against ‘Dr. Steelhammer.’

DAZN Boxing uploaded a short clip where Joshua is seen mulling over the momentous eleventh round of the match when the referee finally intervened and stopped the fight. “Wladimir Klitschko in front of ninety thousand people. What a great man he is, a great champion he was. Slipped the right-hand uppercut again, and I could see there he was hurt. So instinctively, I thought, you know what, I got to take him out now because this guy was very good. Down he went, but because of pride and ego, he got back up. One, two, bang! Follow him up. I am looking, this guy ain’t going anywhere,” Joshua said.

By this time, he realized he needed to close the argument for good, so a flurry of shots followed. But still, the Ukrainian got up. ‘AJ’ finally had him pinned on the ropes and that’s when the referee finally decided it was enough. Anthony Joshua was awarded the win through a technical knockout. It was the seventeenth straight victory for him.

The match proved a blockbuster, with nearly ninety thousand audiences in attendance at Wembley. Commercially, it raked almost $68 million from live ticket sales, PPV subscriptions, and overseas broadcasting, as per joe.co.uk.

Read More: Mike Tyson Predicts Anthony Joshua vs. Deontay Wilder: ‘There Ain’t Gonna Be Much Style’

What is your take on Anthony Joshua’s observations? Do share your views and opinions with us in the comments below.

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