Anthony Joshua is not the kind of brawler that his power and physique may lead viewers to believe, the fighter himself insists.
The former heavyweight champion from London offered some sobering remarks about his fighting identity in a recent sit-down interview, claiming he is, at heart, a “boxer” who prefers to think his way through a fight. Of course, Joshua, one of the biggest sporting stars in his native Great Britain, formed his reputation in large part due to his knockout prowess.
That reputation, however, has taken somewhat of a hit in recent years, especially in the wake of his catastrophic loss to Andy Ruiz in 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Indeed, Joshua was roundly criticized after his win over Jermaine Franklin this month for appearing to be timid and hesitant, despite garnering a fairly comfortable unanimous decision on the scorecards.
In the interview, Joshua, 33, pushed back against recent criticism that he needs to be more “aggressive” inside the ring.
“When you look at someone’s make-up, you have to look at what their attributes are,” Joshua told Sky Sports. “I’m quite tall, I’ve got a long range, but I’m not going to be a bruiser.
“If you look at my character, I’m not the most aggressive, outwardly type of person, I’m not a fighter—I’m more of a boxer, there’s a thought process, there’s a method behind the madness. I’ve always tried to develop my boxing IQ but over 12 rounds there are times where you have to fight and I want to become a box fighter.”
The public’s expectations have appeared to have weighed heavily on Joshua. In his now infamous post-fight rant after losing to Oleksandr Usyk a second time in a row, Joshua mocked a hypothetical fan’s criticism that he needed to throw more combinations in the mold of Mike Tyson or Jack Dempsey.
Joshua insisted his seemingly “cautious” approach with Franklin was an impromptu response to Franklin’s better-than-expected counterpunching ability.
“It’s why that fight with Jermaine Franklin, I realized I was in with someone who’s a counter-puncher, you throw two, they try to hit you with three—so I changed my game plan,” Joshua said. “I stuck behind my jab, used my attributes and got the win. I can build on that because there will be a day where just being a fighter may not work against a certain opponent.
“The man who has a plan A, B and C in his locker because he can use his jab, he can move around, he knows how to defend—I think he’ll have more of a chance to be victorious on a tough night. I’m glad I got those rounds in the bank and I can move forward on my quest to become a full and well-rounded fighter.”
Joshua added, ”I’m a thinker… maybe an overthinker.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.