Recently, an acquaintance asked me what I believe Anthony Joshua should do next. According to some reports, Joshua will fight again this summer, while others claim he will wait until December. Possible opponents for Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder include Deontay Wilder and Deontay Wilder. However, a rematch with Dillian Whyte or a bout against an opponent of a lesser caliber is possible.
I considered these and additional options. The answer was crystal clear to me: Joshua should retire.
Joshua won the gold medal in the super-heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics, and four years later he knocked out Charles Martin to win the IBF world heavyweight title. In 2017, he defended his throne against former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 rabid supporters at Wembley Stadium in his nineteenth professional bout.
Joshua-Klitschko was a captivating event. Joshua fulfilled his promise as a combatant by rising from the canvas in the eleventh round to knock out Klitschko. Since then, however, Joshua’s abilities have plateaued. Moreover, he no longer appears willing to do whatever it takes to prevail, as he did against Klitschko. Three of his last six contests have been lost.
Joshua has had two different coaches since departing Rob McCracken more than a year ago.
There is no indication that the transition has improved his fighting ability. His most recent performance was a lackluster victory over Jermaine Franklin earlier this month. Paul Magno, a boxing journalist, placed this fight into perspective by stating, “It was a performance well below a man who was once hailed as the future of boxing.
Joshua’s reluctance to open up out of fear of making an error and being harmed by a foe chosen precisely because he couldn’t harm him was a frustrating portrait. It was like witnessing a tank maneuver cautiously around a tricycle for thirty-six minutes.”
Joshua is 33. He can earn an enormous sum of money by fighting once more. However, he already has inherited a fortune. He is no longer economically compelled to fight. And no other sport is as physically demanding on its participants as boxing.
I am unaware of any MRI or other test results indicating that Joshua is experiencing the earliest stages of brain injury. However, the harsh realities of boxing are cause for concern for any boxer. Repetitive blows to the cranium result in brain damage. A headshot from a heavyweight boxer is more likely to induce brain damage. There is only one question: “How much?”
Furthermore, the symptoms caused by repeated blows to the cranium continue to worsen long after a boxer has retired from the sport. According to neurologist Margaret Goodman, the most challenging aspect of chronic brain injuries is that by the time a combatant exhibits symptoms, it is too late.
Significantly, the condition is irreversible.
Put up your hands. How many people want to see Wilder hit Joshua in the cranium or Fury batter him around the ring?
Joshua desires to defend his heavyweight title. Three months after his second loss to Oleksandr Usyk, he admitted, “I’m not the champion, and it hurts a lot.”
Those who stand to profit from Joshua will encourage him to continue fighting.
However, a combatant must assume responsibility for his health. And at some point, regardless of how much money a fighter can earn, the risk-reward ratio will shift against him continuing to fight.
Joshua has already obtained everything significant and beneficial from boxing. Never again will sport be as kind to him as it was the night he defeated Klitschko. There is no compelling cause for him to continue receiving head blows and increasing the risk of permanent brain damage. He has so much to offer outside of the ring.
I do not know Joshua all that well.
We have briefly conversed at media events. However, the majority of what I know about him comes from observing him from a distance and speaking with individuals who know him far better than I do. Based on my limited knowledge, I like him. In addition to his elegance and grace, he appears to be a decent individual.
I hope that Joshua will read the article. And I hope that he gives my words careful consideration. It requires bravery to be a combatant. Sometimes it requires more courage to stop fighting than it does to fight.
Joshua has the most beautiful grin in boxing since Muhammad Ali.
In the end, Ali’s expression was not so attractive.
The University of Arkansas Press published Thomas Hauser’s latest book, In the Inner Sanctum: Behind the Scenes during Big Fights. Hauser received boxing’s top honour in 2019.
