Anthony Joshua's top five victories

There was a time where it looked as though Anthony Joshua was on course to become the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. The Watford native made his name through his supreme knockout ability, and as the wins kept coming, more and more people were hailing Joshua as the man who would be king.

However, three defeats in his last five bouts have tarnished Joshua’s reputation, and his mission now is to re-establish himself amongst the elite. Successive losses to Oleksandr Usyk will have hurt AJ, but with this weekend’s clash against Jermaine Franklin comes a chance to get back on track.

The Anthony Joshua bets are favouring the Brit, and it’s worth remembering just how talented AJ is when he’s on top form. As we get ready for the hotly anticipated bout at The O2 this weekend, let’s take a look back at Joshua’s five most impressive victories.

Kevin Johnson, 2015

2015 was the year in which Joshua really came to the fore and starting recording the kinds of victories that thrust him into the heavyweight spotlight. His win over Kevin Johnson at The O2 in May 2015 was mightily impressive, triumphing by TKO after just two rounds. It was the kind of win Joshua had made his forte, but now he was beginning to do it against some high-calibre opponents.

Gary Cornish, 2015

His next fight, against Gary Cornish the following month, was even more impressive. Joshua finished off the then-unbeaten American in less than two minutes, adding the Commonwealth heavyweight title to his WBC International heavyweight title. It was another exhibition of Joshua’s supreme punching power, and it was only natural that he would now face even stronger opponents moving forward.

Dillian Whyte, 2015

The next big challenge was Dillian Whyte, three months after the win over Cornish. His fellow Londoner was unbeaten at this stage of his career, and was seen as the biggest threat yet to Joshua’s continued rise to the top.

It proved to be a much longer bout than AJ’s fans had become accustomed to, but their man eventually got the job done with a TKO in the seventh. It was proof that Joshua had the patience and endurance to stay in a slightly longer fight against a high-quality opponent.

Wladimir Klitschko, 2017

Flash forward two years, and Joshua’s unbeaten record was still intact thanks to victories over Charles Martin, Dominic Breazeale and Eric Molina. Those wins set up a crunch showdown with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, with the vacant WBA (Super) and IBO heavyweight titles up for grabs.

As expected, Klitschko made Joshua go further than he had ever gone in his career up until that point, but the Englishman still managed to get the win by TKO in the 11th round. It was a sensational triumph, and many saw it as the ultimate proof that Joshua had all the skills needed to be consistent champion.

Andy Ruiz Jr, 2019

Having lost to Andy Ruiz Jr. against all the odds in June 2019, there was a lot of pressure on Joshua’s shoulders ahead of the December rematch against the American. If he were to lose a second time, it would have been a disastrous blow to his champion credentials. However, Joshua managed to exact his revenge, winning by unanimous decision in Saudi Arabia.