Box Talk: AJ Good or Bad?, British Showdown and Khan's Legacy
Former two-time world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua returned to winning ways on April 1 as he defeated American boxer, Jermaine Franklin at the 02 Arena in London.
While the Brit controlled the fight, he was unable to progress to the knockout stage. The contest went to the judges. One judge scored 118-111 while the other two scored 117-111.
After the fight, Joshua was very critical of his own performance, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “No knockout, so no good. I’m not too happy. I could have thrown more shots, and I should have, no excuses.”
Current and former fighters have expressed their thoughts on AJ’s performance.
Dillian Whyte said: “Joshua has lost all his aggression and killer instincts. The ability is still there, the boxing is still there – he looks the part. The last few rounds Joshua was very hesitant.”
Former world super-middleweight champion, Carl Froch said: “In the ring at world title level he’s been there, done the business and now I don’t know. I’ve not seen anything in that performance that he wants to be a world champion again.”
Despite their being more negatives than positives, new trainer Derrick James is not concerned.
James said: “For me it was all about getting the win; I didn’t care how. After this, we’ll come back and build; we saw he was able to box on the inside, how devastating his jab was and how good the movement was.”
What is next for AJ? Joshua has stated that he wants the biggest fights. While a fight with Tyson Fury may be the one the world wants, a third fight with Whyte or Deontay Wilder would be better for Joshua as he continues his journey. One thing is certain though, Joshua will need to make major improvements if he wants to get back to the top.
WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie will defend his title against Chris Billam-Smith in an all-British affair in May. Okolie currently holds a perfect record of 19 wins from 19 fights, while Billam-Smith has only lost once in 18.
The fight will take place at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth and for Billam-Smith it is a dream come true as he will get the chance to win the title in his favourite football team’s stadium.
Both fighters are former sparring partners and had previously said that a fight between them would not happen, but that has now changed and friendships will be put aside in this British showdown.
Meanwhile, former light-welterweight world champion and British boxer, Amir Khan has been banned for two years after he tested positive for ostarine.
Khan spoke to Sky Sports News and affirmed his position on the situation, he said: “I’ve never cheated. But I’ve got a two-year ban now, which is quite strange and funny because I am retired anyway.”
Despite being retired, questions will certainly be asked about Khan. He retired with an impressive record of 34 wins and six losses with 21 knockouts. He has fought some of the best boxers in his era, such as, Marcos Maidana, Lamont Peterson, Terence Crawford and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Khan’s final fight would be against Kell Brook. The British pair had a long history which started back in their teenage years. However, over a decade passed by and the fight between Brook and Khan unfortunately came into the latter stages of their respective careers.
Khan lost the fight by stoppage in the sixth round. However, even in his last fight Khan showed that his iconic hand speed was still as fast as ever.
With the news of an illegal substance found in Khan’s body now surfacing, his integrity will undoubtedly come into question, but will it damage his legacy? That remains to be seen.