Is Anthony Joshua the greatest British boxer of all time? Breaking down his impact as Daniel Dubois fight reportedly sees record ticket sales
The Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois fight is expected to be a staggering success. After all, it is headlined by Joshua. Not to slight Dubois in any way, but he is nowhere near the superstar that Joshua is, who has always been regarded as one of the most marketable athletes in the world.
However, it isn't Joshua's star power that's been a topic of discussion. It is his place among Britain's greatest-ever boxers. The country has a rich boxing history, having produced some of the finest pugilists the sport has ever seen. So where exactly does Joshua rank among his fellow Britons?
Is he at the very top or are there still legends of yesteryear for him to overcome in terms of his impact and accomplishments?
Anthony Joshua vs. Britain's all-time greats
In terms of stardom, Anthony Joshua is almost second to none. Renowned boxing journalist Michael Benson recently took to X/Twitter to report that the ticket sales for the former unified heavyweight champion's upcoming bout with Daniel Dubois have led to a record 96,000 seats at Wembley Stadium.
This, he asserts, was passed on to him by Turki Alalshikh, whose hand in boxing has revitalized mass interest in the sport. However, this is only a glimpse of Joshua's star power, as Benson issued another tweet revealing the statistics of Joshua's ticket sales, which are nearly half a million with 488,000.
So, while he is certainly a successful boxer, where does he stack up in terms of impact and accomplishments? Is he truly in contention for the title of greatest British boxer ever? The short answer is no. The long answer involves looking into those who often dominate the conversation.
At heavyweight, Joshua's accomplishments will always have to contend with those of divisional rival Tyson Fury, a former unified heavyweight champion himself. Nevertheless, Joshua's résumé is better than Fury's, as he has beaten higher-level competition more frequently.
Fury is no longer undefeated, so he cannot use it as a crutch. Furthermore, much of his legacy hinges on just two foes: Wladimir Klitschko and Deontay Wilder. Given 'AJ's' body of work, he likely ranks higher than Fury.
So what of the others? In the same division, there's Lennox Lewis, who is undoubtedly greater than either man. First, he was an undisputed heavyweight champion, avenged every loss he's ever suffered and has beaten legends in Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, and Vitali Klitschko.
Additionally, Lewis has also beaten more world champions than either man. Then there are others in different weight classes. Chris Eubank is undoubtedly greater than 'AJ' ever was. First, he was unbeaten for a decade and reigned as world champion for five years.
He has beaten more world champions than him, including the great Nigel Benn. Then, of course, there is Joe Calzaghe, who retired undefeated at 46-0, with an absurdly long reign as world champion, having conquered multiple weight classes, and having beaten 11 world champions.
As if that isn't stunning enough, he has also beaten fellow all-time great boxers Roy Jones Jr., Bernard Hopkins, and the aforementioned British legend himself, Chris Eubank. The great Ricky Hatton ought not to be forgotten either, having also beaten more world champions than Joshua has.
Last, but certainly not least, is Jimmy Wilde, who is often regarded as the greatest British boxer of all time. A Welshman, Wilde was the first official flyweight world champion, boasting an official record of 137-3, which no one will ever match.
While he fought in a bygone era, his accomplishments as a pioneer can't be understated.