Anthony Joshua: The Road To Klitschko articulates the gripping success story of the British heavyweight icon

211
Image Courtesy: BBC/Getty

From serving time in the Reading Prison in 2009 to winning a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, the story of British boxing ace Anthony Joshua is nothing short of absolute magnificence. A WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight champion, the most daunting fight that Joshua ever took up in the ring is the 2017 bout against former world heavyweight champion and his idol, Wladimir Klitschko. The fight that became iconic in the history of boxing, the fight that staggered millions of boxing fans across the world.

Nonetheless, the path to the Wembley Stadium on 29th April 2017 was a long walk for Anthony Joshua. The path from rags to riches, the path to face his childhood icon in the ring, the path to rule the heavyweight division amidst a pack of lightweight fighters dominating the global boxing scene, the “Anthony Joshua: The Road To Klitschko” documentary on Discovery Plus upholds the success story of Anthony Joshua as captured by BBC crew over the span of two years.

Articulate, Handsome, Explosive: Three words congruent to Anthony Joshua

The documentary details the dawn of Joshua’s boxing career, when had his first fight in November 2008, a year before he became the Haringey Box Cup champion in 2009. He repeated the same result in 2010 and won senior ABA Championships in the same year. However, Joshua’s ticket to the 2012 Summer Olympics came when he secured his entry into at the 2011 World Championships final in Baku, where he clinched a silver medal.

Anthony Joshua
Anthony Joshua with his Olympic Gold. (Image Courtesy: Sky Sports)

Following his Olympic gold, the amateur boxer of Nigerian descent becomes a fan-favourite in England. The year of 2013 is a pivotal moment of Joshua’s boxing career when he decides to turn professional and signs a contract with Matchroom Boxing.

The 22-year-old is now an unstoppable force in the ring. With an astounding winning streak of 14-0, Anthony Joshua has now garnered a substantial reputation in the sport. Now with a crew on his back, consisting of the promoter and guide Eddie Hearn, manager Freddie Cunningham, cousin and fellow professional boxer Ben Ileyemi, Leon Skinner aka SKINZ, the hustler-motivator of the crew and last but not the least, David “KD” Ghansa, renowned to be Joshua’s ‘right-hand man’, all of who make appearances in the documentary.

The O2 Arena, the place where Anthony Joshua’s name permanently etched in the history books

The film progresses to the biggest challenge of Anthony Joshua’s career which is making its approach- the British heavyweight title bout against undefeated Dillian Whyte, who is ready to put his winning streak on the line to face the rising star of the British boxing scene.

Joshua vs Whyte. (Image Courtesy: Getty)

The bout that takes place in the O2 Arena on 12th December 2015, ended in the 7th round after a staggering right-hand blow from Joshua, followed by an uppercut that makes Whyte drop to the floor on his back. England has now experienced a daunting fighter that is ready to shoot for the stars.

The next year, Johsua returns to the O2 to face American boxer Charles Martin for the IBF heavyweight title on 9th April 2016. The match, expected to be a neck-to-neck fight between the champion and contender, turns out to be a premature massacre for Martin as Joshua’s back-to-back strikes knocks down the title holder in the 2nd round.

Anthony Joshua’s IBF title bout against Charles Martin. (Image Courtesy: Lawrence Lustig)

Title defenses and the paparazzi: Anthony Joshua, now a marvel of boxing

The year 2016 saw the rise of Anthony Joshua’s popularity amongst the global boxing fandom as well as the media as it is shown in the film. From sponsorship deals to bonding with celebrities, the pugilist is now a brand of himself in the boxing media.

Although, several weeks have passed and the first title defense of Joshua’s career knocks in the door. Up against the IBF heavyweight world champion is Dominic Breazeale on 25th June 2016 at the O2, Joshua knocks Breazeale out in the 7th round, thus successfully retaining his title.

His second title defense comes six months later against former world title challenger Éric Molina on 10th December at the Manchester Arena. The fight ends in a third-round TKO from Joshua as the champion defends his title for the second straight time.

Still, its only the beginning for Joshua’s rise to the top tier boxing environment, as Hearn confirms that his next opponent will be none other than Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF title, as well as the vacant WBA (Super), and IBO titles, the very fight that the documentary has been leading up to.

The showdown: Joshua vs. Klitschko

Wladimir Klitschko, a name respected by all, feared by many. The former Ukrainian boxing legend has been ruling the heavyweight division for over a decade and up against him is probably his biggest fan in the world- Anthony Joshua, the same British teenager that he fought earlier, the same youngster that has become an intimidating presence in boxing.

Anthony Joshua with his icon, the legendary Wladimir Klitschko. (Image Courtesy: PA)

The film goes on as Joshua and Klitschko face each other on 29th April 2017 at the Wembley Stadium with a post-war record crowd presence of 90,000 with all of their eyes glued to the ring as the veteran “Dr Steelhammer” with 53 career KOs is set to go head-on against the 18-0 “AJ” in a bout that is expected to restore the glory of the heavyweight division.

During the buildup to the fight shown in the documentary, both the fighters expressed the mutual respect they hold towards each other. While Joshua worshipped Klitschko for his achievements, the veteran applauded the path his junior had taken to accomplishment.

The pugilists go all-in against each in the fight. The match started with Klitschko landing some impactful right-hand hits on Joshua, who in turn couldn’t overcome the respect for his idol in-ring and was falling back in the return blows.

It was until Joshua receives a blistering punch from Klitschko that pins him to the ground and in the film, the Briton explained how the notion of ‘getting back up when you are down to the floor’ is not taught in the training drills.

However, Joshua’s punches following the knock now become stronger and stronger, including an uppercut that staggers Klitschko, but its unable to hold down the 41-year-old Ukrainian as he gets up every single time and the same goes on until the 11th round.

Klitschko’s endurance and defense have now seen its limits and the row of punches from Joshua has him fumbling on the ropes. The referee stops the fight and Anthony Joshua walks out as the winner.

One reign ends, another begins. (Image Courtesy: Getty)

Anthony Joshua: The Road To Klitschko is a documentary that every fan of Anthony Joshua, moreover any fan of boxing should experience. The brilliantly cogent storytelling added in with all the detailing of the fights, as well as Joshua’s narrations makes it an amazing documentary worth a watch.

Anthony Joshua: The Road To Klitschko can be streamed exclusively on Discovery Plus.