Born in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, Anthony Joshua has become one of the most decorated heavyweight boxers of all time. The two-time heavyweight titleholder started his career with wins over a who's who of fighters. Now, he is looking to reclaim the gold he lost against Oleksandr Usyk.
Joshua will face Usyk in a rematch for the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles in Saudi Arabia on August 20. If he can win back the titles, he will become one step closer to earning the status of undisputed champion.
The Sporting News looks into the career of Joshua and how he got to become a two-time heavyweight champion.
WATCH ON DAZN: Oleksandr Usyk vs. Anthony Joshua 2
How old is Anthony Joshua?
Joshua is 32 years old. He started boxing at the age of 18 in 2007.
Joshua became a two-time ABA Championships gold medalist starting in 2010. In 2012, Joshua would win a gold medal in the Olympics.
Anthony Joshua record, bio
Following a 40-3 amateur record, Joshua was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) status.
Joshua made his pro debut in 2013, beating Emanuele Leo via TKO. He beat Denis Bakjtov in 2014 for the WBC International heavyweight title. In 2015, Joshua won the Commonwealth and British heavyweight titles against Gary Cornish and Dillian Whyte.
From 2016-2018 Joshua beat the likes of Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale, Eric Molina, Wladimir Klitschko, Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin. He beat Martin for the IBF heavyweight title, Klitschko for the WBA and IBO heavyweight titles, and Parker for the WBO heavyweight title.
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In 2019, Andy Ruiz Jr. beat Joshua for all the gold in what was called one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. It was Joshua's first fight in the U.S., and he was knocked down several times. Joshua beat Ruiz in a rematch a few months later in Saudi Arabia. Joshua then retained the titles against Kubrat Pulev in December 2020.
On a quest to become undisputed, Joshua and WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury agreed in principle to fight one another. Deontay Wilder would activate a rematch clause for a trilogy fight against Fury. Joshua fought the mandatory challenger in Usyk when the trilogy was announced. Fury beat Wilder via knockout in October 2021. Joshua would lose the titles against the former undisputed cruiserweight champion in September 2021.
Earlier this year, it looked like the rematch might be shelved altogether. Usyk returned to Ukraine and was one of several combat sports stars who decided to take up arms against Russian aggression. After a few months in the country, he was able to leave to train for a future fight against Joshua (24-2).
After months of speculation, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed the heavyweight would return to Jeddah on August 20 in an attempt to repeat the trick of instant revenge that he dished up against Ruiz. The sublime Usyk is likely to provide a much sterner test, even in light of his recent travails.