Not everyone is interested in sport - certainly many people detest boxing. Of course it is an individual prerogative to decide what or what not to like or follow. In this short blog I am not attempting to persuade you to follow boxing or even sport - but I am going to make a case to follow the career of Anthony Joshua - because I think he has something special. He might not be a Muhammad Ali - but I am sure he is destined to transcend boxing and sport generally - as a role model - as an exceptional person - in the way Ali did.
Joshua did not take up boxing until he was 18. He is now 28. His rise has been meteoric. He won the gold medal in the Super Heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics as an amateur, he has been awarded an MBE and he has since gone on to become the professional unified World Super Heavyweight champion. He is a multi millionaire already and destined to become very wealthy indeed as he is huge box office - not just because he holds the most prestigious boxing titles on the planet but because of his persona both in and out of the ring.
I am not going to waste time setting out his background. You can research that easily online - there is plenty of material available. Certainly it has not been a straight forward path to where he is now. He was in trouble with the police and the law for fighting and drugs when he was a young man. He made mistakes - but he recognised where it was heading and to his great credit he found a salvation in boxing.
There are a few points I would like to make - one or two general ones and one or two specific to Anthony Joshua. Here goes :
General points
Joshua did not take up boxing until he was 18. He is now 28. His rise has been meteoric. He won the gold medal in the Super Heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics as an amateur, he has been awarded an MBE and he has since gone on to become the professional unified World Super Heavyweight champion. He is a multi millionaire already and destined to become very wealthy indeed as he is huge box office - not just because he holds the most prestigious boxing titles on the planet but because of his persona both in and out of the ring.
I am not going to waste time setting out his background. You can research that easily online - there is plenty of material available. Certainly it has not been a straight forward path to where he is now. He was in trouble with the police and the law for fighting and drugs when he was a young man. He made mistakes - but he recognised where it was heading and to his great credit he found a salvation in boxing.
There are a few points I would like to make - one or two general ones and one or two specific to Anthony Joshua. Here goes :
General points
- As in most things in life and certainly in sport, it is the back story that really makes watching or following something particularly interesting or rewarding. For instance watch a tennis match and know nothing about the players is one thing but if you know about their background - their trials and tribulations - past failures or successes - it all adds to the spectacle - adds weight to the watch - makes it more significant. There are countless like me - sports nuts who read the sports pages before the news. I have a lifetimes accumulated sports knowledge as a participant and viewer and can draw on it to watch almost any sports event - ha! Putting the time in offers reward - ask any fan - the whole gamut of emotions is a possibility in a playing season!
- Some people claim horse racing is cruel and it is true - now and a again a horse gets seriously injured in the course of racing. However horses love to run - to gallop. You can see that when a jockey is unseated and the riderless horse keeps going of its freewill. Certainly race horses are cossetted by their trainers, handlers and owners. They are given the best of everything in terms of food, health care and facilities. They are usually loved and respected and kept fit and well. The point I am trying to move to is boxing and boxers might be similar. Many people think boxing is barbaric and that it should be banned. However many would argue the desire to fight is part of the masculine DNA and organised boxing is a controlled outlet for something that is needed. I agree there is nothing sadder - nothing more sickening than a punch drunk fighter being used as cannon fodder to generate money for an unscrupulous manager, promoter or hangers on - and that certainly used to happen in the bad old days. However professional boxing has cleaned up its act - and is now a controlled environment with licencing and medical testing. For many young men boxing can be a salvation. It is a way of channeling aggression, keeping fit, learning sportsmanship and of course for some generate a living they would otherwise not have and on occasions become very wealthy indeed. There is a place for boxing in a modern society and if it was banned it would move under ground - I am sure of that.
Specific point regarding Anthony Joshua
- As I have said I think Joshua is something special - both as a boxer and a person. As such I think he is worth following - worth taking an interest in.
- To see what I mean if you are not already familiar with his career, can I direst you to You Tube and BBC I Player. Joshua has been the subject of several excellent fly on the wall documentaries where his personality, attitudes and values come over strongly. He is articulate and candid. He has real family values. The documentaries are set against the reality of a pending or actual fight. They are compelling in my view. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=you+tube+documentary+Anthony+Joshua&view=detail&mid=6C717EF868E1F2BB1C836C717EF868E1F2BB1C83&FORM=VIRE
- Best of all is an absolutely brilliant documentary now available on BBC I player called "Joshua v Klitchko Return to Wembley". Even if you have no interest in boxing it is a fantastic documentary. However if you know about Wladamir Klitschko and his brother - legendary boxing champions - you will witness two highly intelligent human beings show incredible courage and mutual respect that is both a lesson and an uplifting experience for anyone with a heart. I can say no more - ha! Have a watch. Invest some time in following Anthony Joshua would be my recommendation - it will be some journey.
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