Anthony Joshua was tipped to become the face of the heavyweight boxing division by legend Mike Tyson (Image: Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Boxing legend Mike Tyson had once declared that Anthony Joshua would be the heavyweight boxing division's main attraction after his knockout victory over Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. However, this prediction has not come true as the boxer has fallen short of expectations in the years and fights since.
Joshua added to his impressive reputation when he beat Klitschko in 2017 by later defeating Joseph Parker to add the WBO world title to his collection - which already included the IBF, IBO and WBA belts.
However, a shocking loss to Andy Ruiz Jr saw Joshua surrender these titles before eventually regaining them, only to lose them again to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021, reports the Mirror.
After failing to secure victory in a rematch against Usyk, Joshua has since taken on smaller fights as he attempts to regain his earlier momentum - a trajectory not quite aligned with Tyson's earlier prediction for the British athlete.
Back in 2017 at the time of Joshua's triumph over Klitschko, Tyson firmly believed that Joshua was destined to be the heavyweight division's leading figure for many more years.
While launching his Mike Tyson Academy franchise in Dubai, the seasoned boxer said: "It's all going to be about Joshua and the heavyweights now. That one fight changed boxing."
Tyson also added: "Joshua is still just a baby with 19 fights, it took me 28 fights to become world champion. But who cares, he's the champ. The sky is the limit for him now and he is going to dominate the division and make so much money if he just keeps on doing what he's doing."
AJ's stock is not what it was since his two defeats against Oleksandr Usyk (Image: Getty)
Joshua has a record of 31 fights, with only three losses to his name. However, these were significant defeats that resulted in him losing his WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight titles.
The Ukrainian boxer Usyk proved to be Joshua's nemesis, defeating him twice and causing a dip in his performance.
Following his second loss to Usyk in 2022 via split decision, Joshua bounced back with four victories against Jermaine Franklin Jr, Robert Helenius, Otto Wallin and Francis Ngannou.
