Anthony Joshua heads back to the O2 this weekend with his star power waning, tickets selling slowly and RETIREMENT a possibility… seven years ago he was the man of the moment at this arena – now he needs a statement victory to revive his wilting career
- Joshua last climbed through the ropes at the O2 Arena back in June 2016
- As newly-crowned heavyweight champion the sky seemed the limit at that time
- Now he returns to his old stomping ground in entirely contrasting fortunes
This weekend Anthony Joshua returns to his old stomping ground on the Greenwich Peninsula after seven years away to do battle with America’s Jermaine Franklin. Yet he arrives back at this scene of past glories in entirely contrasting fortunes.
The last time Joshua climbed through the ropes at London’s O2 Arena was the night of June 25, 2016, when he made the first defence of his IBF world title against another US fighter, the little-known Dominic Breazeale.
Despite Breazeale’s obscurity, tickets for the fight sold out in just 30 minutes as fans clamoured for a glimpse of Britain’s new superstar heavyweight in the flesh. With 16 knockouts from 16 contests in the ring and an infectious charisma out of it, AJ was very much a man in demand, and his ruthless disposal of Breazeale inside seven rounds only added to the hysteria.
As Tyson Fury battled with mental health issues away from the sport, Joshua had emerged as the undisputed flagbearer of UK boxing, generating levels of popularity not seen on these shores since the days of Frank Bruno. And with potential unification blockbusters against the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder on the horizon, the sky very much seemed the limit.
Anthony Joshua was the man of the moment at the O2 seven years ago (left), now he heads back to his old stomping ground in contrasting fortunes
Joshua knocked out Dominic Breazeale in his last appearance at the O2 back in June 2016
This weekend his boxing career is on the line as he returns to the Greenwich Peninsula to face American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin (right)
Though almost 2,500 days on from that rosy evening, Joshua heads back to the O2 on Saturday night with his boxing career now hanging by a thread.
Two straight defeats at the hands of the masterful Oleksandr Usyk over the past 18 months have left the 33-year-old crestfallen; relieving him of three heavyweight championships while denting his ego and aura in equal measure.
Only two victories have come from his previous five contests, with Andy Ruiz Jr the first to expose his deficiencies in startling fashion on that dramatic June night at Madison Square Garden four years ago. In the time since, Joshua only has an uneventful points avenging of Ruiz and a knockout of 39-year-old Kubrat Pulev to show for his heavyweight exploits.
As a result, his unwanted O2 comeback has not provided the kind of ticket frenzy AJ and promoter Eddie Hearn are used to. With just over a week until the showdown with Franklin, Hearn revealed that only 15,000 had been sold, leaving less than 1,000 to be flogged.
Following seven years of sold-out stadiums, headline events in the States and lucrative trips to Saudi Arabia, Joshua’s return to his old fortress, for his first non-world title bout since December 2015, feels like a case of how the mighty have fallen.
Yet while losing fights is the most obvious factor to highlight when assessing his decline, the Olympic gold medalist no longer exudes the same public image regardless of his current form seven years on from that last O2 outing.
As well as the shift in power to Fury on these shores – given he is now capable of selling out stadiums in his own right as Britain’s No 1 heavyweight and leading personality – Joshua has sparked controversy and alienated a large section of his supporters with certain antics in recent years.
The most astonishing came after his rematch defeat by Usyk back in August. At the end of another points humbling against the Ukrainian, an emotional and disillusioned AJ took the microphone and embarked on a bizarre post-fight speech, touching on the crisis in Ukraine, firing back at his critics and leading a series of ‘hip hip hoorays’ for the victor.
His O2 comeback has not provided the kind of ticket frenzy Joshua has become accustomed to
Two defeats at the hands of the masterful Oleksandr Usyk (left) have derailed his career
After the second humbling, Joshua produced a cringeworthy post-fight speech in the ring
He has only recorded two wins in his last five fights, one of which came against a 39-year-old Kubrat Pulev (pictured)
He also chucked Usyk’s heavyweight title belts out of the ring after hearing the judges’ decision in a cringeworthy meltdown which earned him widespread criticism.
It must be noted that Joshua held his hands up after the outburst and revealed he had also reached out to former foe Klitschko to issue an apology to countryman Usyk on his behalf. Nevertheless, throwing his toys out of the pram in such a manner after two clear defeats has only brought further detractors.
On a broader scale, another point of contention saw Joshua produce an opinion-dividing speech at a Black Lives Matter demonstration three years ago.
‘Show them where it hurts, abstain from spending your money in their shops and economies, and invest in black-owned businesses,’ he said at the rally in Watford.
‘And that’s for all communities if you want to uplift yourselves, invest in your own businesses.’
The comments ignited fierce debate on social media, with many accusing the heavyweight star of encouraging a boycott of white-owned businesses and, in turn, increasing tensions between different ethnicities.
Joshua also alienated a section of his fanbase with controversial comments at a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Watford
But he issued a colourful response to criticism online, saying: ‘If you think I’m a racist, go f*** yourself!’
Joshua was quick to respond, insisting he had been passed on a speech to read at by someone who could not attend the event. ‘If you think I’m a racist, go f*** yourself!’ was his more colourful riposte.
And while it can be argued his words were taken out of context, a number of AJ’s white supporters took this remark to heart, meaning some have turned their back on his future boxing endeavours ever since.
Unlike in 2016, he is no longer the nation’s sweetheart.
Inactivity may also have played a part in Joshua’s star-power waning, given he has boxed just three times in little over two years. The Covid-19 pandemic of course didn’t help where this was concerned, delaying both his return after beating Ruiz and the first meeting with Usyk.
But the good times with AJ, the kind of nights we had become so accustomed to in his early prime, have been a rarity in recent years. Who would have envisaged that, after beating Alexander Povetkin at Wembley in September 2018, over the next four-and-a-half years he would rack up only another two wins, before letting his heavyweight crown slip and struggling to sell out the O2.
Joshua is no longer the nation’s sweetheart, but an emphatic victory over Franklin will propel him back into the mix at heavyweight and revive his star power
With that being said, victory against Franklin this weekend, and an emphatic one at that, will breathe new life into Joshua’s wilting reputation. After his 12-round war with Dillian Whyte last year, wiping the floor with the 29-year-old inside the distance is the kind of statement he desperately needs to propel himself back into the mix.
Do this and suddenly a lucrative showdown with Fury at Wembley is a realistic proposition again for the summer – until the inevitable collapse in negotiations, of course. Mega-fights against Deontay Wilder and Joe Joyce also reemerge as breathtaking alternatives.
All hope is not lost for AJ as he prepares to step back into the lion’s den on Saturday night. Though anything but a roaring victory will leave his heavyweight ambitions in ruins.
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