Anthony Joshua, the former two-time heavyweight champion, has a big 2023.
Following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua rebounded to win three matches this year. Joshua had three fights in a single year for the first time since 2016.
Joshua began the year with a twelve-round unanimous decision over Jermaine Franklin in April. In August, he returned to defeat late replacement Robert Helenius in the seventh round.
Then, last Saturday in Saudi Arabia, Joshua annihilated Otto Wallin in five rounds of combat.
After the fight last weekend, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, declared that his boxer “was back” to becoming a dominant heavyweight force.
Lennox Lewis, the former undisputed heavyweight champion, is not convinced, at least when it comes to Joshua’s most recent victory, because the Hall of Famer believes Wallin was ill-prepared for the battle.
“With this fight, I can’t tell if he’s back or not.” He looked good and did what he was meant to do. “He’s taking out a guy he’s taken out before [in amateurs],” Lewis explained to TNT Sports.
“The guy lacked definition in his body.” I’m not sure if he worked hard or was lazy.
