Lee Murphy
Anthony Joshua – branded by many as “The saviour of the heavyweight division.” However at the back-end of this calendar year he comes up against two other undefeated British heavyweights, Gary Cornish and well publicised rival Dillian Whyte.
So far for AJ, he has made light-work of all his 13 opponents stopping them all within 3 rounds so it is no shock he has gathered lots of fans and a big reputation along the way. However the gold medallist from the London 2012 Olympic Games is now wanting title fights only from now on and the commonwealth title is up for grabs when he faces Scotland’s Gary Cornish on September 12th, a man who for the first time in Anthony’s professional career will stand taller than him.
Well this seems more like it you’re probably thinking! Someone who looks like he will come to fight and will test AJ’s chin something we have not yet seen on his conquest to dominate the heavyweight division.
Cornish comes into the bout also undefeated winning 16 of his 21 professional fights by stoppages. Like Anthony’s, there are no real stand out names on his record but you can only beat what is put in front of you, right?
One thing you have to admire about Gary is that he has taken the fight against his manager’s wishes. Tommy Gilmour, Cornish’s manager, said when speaking to the BBC: “If he had listened to me, I would like to have seen it happening in 2016.
“But the fighter himself talked me into the fight as he said he wanted it because he wants to be the first to beat Anthony Joshua.”
Very few in the heavyweight division would be willing to risk their undefeated record against Joshua and that will be something AJ is well aware of. With that being said, Gary will be well aware of that too. Anthony recently became the first man to stop American Kevin Johnson who subsequently retired after the devastating TKO proved Joshua carries real power that looks like it can trouble anybody.
The fight branded as “Heavy Duty” should well live up to its name. With both men having knock-outs on their record, we should be in for an explosive finish.
WHERE: o2 Arena, London
WHEN: September 12th 2015
PREDICTION: AJ KO 5th Round
A bout yet to be confirmed but almost certain to happen by the end of the year or at the very latest the start of 2016 is Anthony versus Dillian Whyte. Whyte, who has recently signed with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Sport beat Joshua in the amateurs and their rivalry has been bitter ever since with Whyte making it public knowledge that he does not like the Olympic Gold Medallist.
Whyte’s career was previously put on hold after he tested positive for methylhexaneamine (MHA) on the 13th of October 2012 after his victory over Hungary’s Sandor Balogh.
The ban was upheld in 2013 and Whyte still remains undefeated stopping 11 of his 13 opponents.
Now firmly back on track, he has a chance to showcase his skills live back on Sky Sports against Irineu Beato Costa Junior on the undercard of the highly anticipated bout next Saturday between Luke Campbell and Tommy Coyle.
Assuming he gets through that, it will set up the fight with Joshua for the winter nicely and the contenders will be more than likely fighting for the British Heavyweight title something both are desperately wanting to hold.
When they both met in the amateurs, it was clear to see the British men were novices. More of a street fight than a boxing masterclass, but Whyte got the victory and it will probably be a psychological advantage over AJ.
As the professionals always say though, the amateurs is nothing like the professional game. Both boxers have improved massively but more so Anthony in my opinion. Nevertheless that’s not to say Dillian should be dismissed. His victories have been arguably as impressive as his domestic foe and he has promised that he will be looking for a knockout when the pair eventually meet suggesting Whyte truly believes he can beat Joshua again.
There are many things which make this contest very interesting. How will Joshua cope with the build-up? Will he keep his cool? Does the amateur defeat to Whyte still bother him? Is Joshua really the saviour?
After these two fights, we will have an even better clue if Anthony Joshua can live up to the publics and boxing world’s high expectations. One thing is for certain though, it’s going to be very enjoyable finding out!
Media Murphy 
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