By Jake Chaney.
On June 1st, 29 year old Anthony Joshua had his 23rd Heavyweight fight. In one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, he was stunningly stopped in round 7, by Californian, Andy Ruiz Jr.
In a sport loaded with a ridiculously excessive number of sparkling sanctioning body belts, it is increasingly difficult to decipher how impressive a current boxing star’s achievements are, and how they compare to previous legends of the ring. One minute a fighter’s resume is being hyped and sensationalised...and then with a defeat, it is often ripped to shreds.
This short analysis does not focus on sanctioning body titles, like the IBF and WBO belts, which did not exist in Rocky Marciano’s or Joe Louis’ eras. Instead, it highlights something that is more meaningful: top 10 rated opponents and International Hall of Fame opponents faced (as per impartial independent ratings). References: Boxing Register – International Boxing Hall of Fame Record Book, Transnational Boxing Rankings Board rankings, The Ring rankings.
Anthony Joshua has been a professional for 5 years 8 months. In this time he has fought six top 10 rated opponents. After approximately 2 years 6 months, Anthony fought his first top 10 ranked opponent, #9 rated Charles Martin, stopping the American in the 2nd round of their April 2016 contest. Since then, he has beaten Dominic Breazeale, Carlos Takam, Joseph Parker, and Alexander Povetkin – all top 10 rated at the time of the fight with Anthony. Wladimir Klitschko was unrated by TBRB, but is a lock for the Hall of Fame when he is eligible. Andy Ruiz Jr, was not considered to be top 10 rated (at the time that he defeated Joshua, he was unranked by both the TBRB and The Ring), bringing Joshua’s overall total to six top 10 rated opponents/Hall of Famers, in 5 years 8 months.
When comparing a similar time-frame, how does Joshua’s record stack up against previous all-time great Heavyweights?
Well, he has surpassed the tally of Larry Holmes (3 wins), Riddick Bowe (1 win, 1 loss), and Wladimir Klitschko (1 win, 1 loss to unranked, Ross Puritty), and is in the same brackets as the likes of Lennox Lewis, Rocky Marciano and George Foreman. Rocky was an unbeaten 5-0, whereas Lewis and Foreman had recently suffered their first losses (to McCall and Ali, respectively), so were 4-1.
Lennox Lewis - a 2-time Lineal Heavyweight World Champion
Smokin’ Joe Frazier defeated Muhammad Ali at the end of his first 5 and a half years, and was 8-0, which included a pair of bruising distance fights with Oscar Bonavena, and a memorable left hook KO of Jimmy Ellis.
The most impressive opening 5 year stretch of the last three-to-four decades was produced by a young Mike Tyson. Mike defeated eight top 10 rated opponents, and also KO’d Hall of Famer Larry Holmes. He then lost to “Buster” Douglas, making is record 9-1.
Muhammad Ali is the only Heavyweight to have entered double figures while remaining undefeated. His mark of 11-0 included back-to-back victories over Sonny Liston finishing with wins over Floyd Patterson, George Chuvalo and Henry Cooper.
A mere 5 months after his July 4th professional debut Joe Louis stopped top 10 rated, Lee Ramage. By 18 months he was 8-0, which included knockouts of Hall of Famers, Primo Carnera and Max Baer. Astoundingly, Louis defeated over twice as many top 10 contenders/Hall of Famers during his first 5 and a half years as Mike Tyson. Louis’ 19-1 tally is head and shoulders above any other Heavyweight, with the lone loss in 20 fights (to Hall of Famer, Max Schmeling), being avenged via his famous 1st round knockout at New York’s Yankee Stadium.
Anthony Joshua’s resume is impressive and compares favourably with previous Heavyweight greats. It’s worth noting that by the 5 years 8 months point, rivals, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder still had not fought a top 10 rated opponent. Despite his recent loss, Joshua’s mark of six wins over top 10 rated opposition/Hall of Famer fighters, is the highest since Mike Tyson’s unbeaten streak in the 1980s.
However, all of the Heavyweight legends listed in this article won the Lineal World Heavyweight Championship – Louis, Ali, Frazier, Tyson, Marciano and Foreman all won it in under 5 years 7 months. After crushing, shocking stoppage losses to Oliver McCall and Max Schmeling, Lennox Lewis and Joe Louis rebounded, and went on to win the Championship. To join these legends, and win The World Championship (Lineal), like Lewis and Louis before him, Joshua must regroup, before targeting reigning Champion, Tyson Fury.
@LinealBoxChamp
[The 5 months 8 months records and opposition of the Heavyweights highlighted in this article are listed below.]
Joe Louis: 19-1
Opposition: Ramage, Perroni, Ramage, Brown, Carnera, Levinsky, Baer, Retzlaff, Schmeling (L), Sharkey, Ettore, Pastor, Bradock, Farr, Mann, Schmeling, Lewis, Galento, Pastor, Godoy.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 2 years 11 months.
Muhammad Ali: 11-0
Opposition: Miteff, Daniels, Lavorante, Moore, Jones, Cooper, Liston, Liston, Patterson, Chuvalo, Cooper.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 3 years 3 months.
Mike Tyson: 9-1
Opposition: Ratliff, Berbick, Smith, Thomas, Tucker, Biggs, Holmes, Spinks, Williams, Douglas (L).
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 3 years 3 months
Joe Frazier: 8-0
Opposition: Bonavena, Chuvalo, Ramos, Bonavena, Quarry, Ellis, Foster, Ali.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 4 years 6 months.
Rocky Marciano: 5-0
Opposition: Starza, Layne, Louis, Matthews, Walcott.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 5 years 6 months.
George Foreman: 4-1
Opposition: Peralta, Chuvalo, Frazier, Norton, Ali (L).
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 3 years 7 months.
Lennox Lewis: 4-1
Opposition: Ruddock, Tucker, Bruno, Jackson, McCall (L).
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 8 years 9 months.
Larry Holmes: 3-0
Opposition: Shavers, Norton, Evangelista.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 7 years 7 months.
Evander Holyfield: 2-0
Opposition: Dokes, Rodrigues.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 5 years 11 months (Most of first 4 years at Cruiserweight).
Riddick Bowe: 1-1
Opposition: Holyfield, Holyfield (L).
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 3 years 8 months.
Wladimir Klitschko: 1-0 (lost to unranked Ross Puritty)
Opposition: Byrd.
Time taken to win World Championship (Lineal): 12 years 7 months.