Nigerian-born boxer, Anthony Joshua has no doubt about who he considers to be the best boxer ever to lace up the gloves as he immediately went with American Legend Muhammad Ali when speaking to Men’s Health.
“Historically, Ali. By a mile,” Joshua said.
After a gold medal-laced amateur career, Ali beat George Foreman, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and Earnie Shavers in a 61-fight campaign. The undisputed heavyweight champion formerly known as Cassius Clay left his mark not just on the sport but culture entire.
Meanwhile, Joshua can rightly claim that he has been one of the standouts of the current era. He quickly rose through the amateur ranks to become an Olympic Gold Medalist at London 2012 just a couple of years after picking up the sport rather late aged 18.
His first world title came with another stoppage, this time of Charles Martin, and he unified with wins over Joseph Parker, who was the first man to take him the distance, and a stoppage of long-reigning champion Wladimir Klitschko.
After some routine defences he hit his first stumbling block in New York’s Madison Square Garden when he was halted by underdog and late stand-in Andy Ruiz Jr, though quickly exacted revenge in the rematch.
2021 and 2022 proved difficult years with back-to-back losses to the eventual undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, though since then he has got back to winning ways with a trip of stoppages over Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius and Francis Ngannou.
Next up for Joshua is a shot at becoming a three-time world heavyweight champion when he takes on Daniel Dubois for the IBF title at Wembley in September. That is a feat only repeated at heavyweight by Ali, who was also undisputed champion from 1974 to 1978 and is often considered one of the greatest sportsmen of the last century.
