ANTHONY JOSHUA’S stunning victory over Wladimir Klitschko has made him the biggest name in world boxing, according to Mike Tyson.
Heavyweight Joshua climbed off the canvas to stop Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium last Saturday.
Although the WBA, IBO and IBF titles are now Joshuaโs, Tyson revealed he picked Klitschko to emerge victorious before the fight but believes the Britonโs performance displayed all the attributes needed to reign the division for years to come.
This is what Wembley looked like ???? #AJBoxing pic.twitter.com/e9QcFKuEjE
โ Anthony Joshua (@anthonyfjoshua) April 30, 2017
โIt was a great fight,โ Tyson told ESPN. โI had actually picked Klitschko to win as I thought this was just some jumped-up young guy from England. But man he fought well. Klitschko is 41 and no-one has ever done that to him.
โImportantly, he showed heart. He took a big punch from Klitschko and went down but he got back up. He showed real intestinal fortitude. Heโs consistent, persistent and he didnโt give up. Thereโs no quitting in him. I love that he goes out there to hurt his opponent, too. Thatโs what boxing is all about โ but most fighters just donโt have that hunger.โ
Following a troublesome childhood, Joshuaโs journey to stardom has drawn comparisons to Tyson, who endured hardships during his upbringing before becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in history when he beat Trevor Berbick in 1986, aged 20.
Really enjoyed the fight, I hope you did too. Thank you for your amazing support. I can truly feel it. Respect&congrats to @anthonyfjoshua
โ Klitschko (@Klitschko) April 30, 2017
Tyson, who also won his first 19 fights by knockout, insists Joshuaโs journey is evidence that the sport of boxing can offer people an outlet for success.
โI see the comparison, sure,โ Tyson added. โIf you are of an Afro-English background youโre likely to have a tough time; if youโre born in the wrong part of town itโs always going to be rough. Youโre going to be financially challenged, scholastically challenged. It was like that for me and itโs like that now.
โBoxing gives kids โ like me, like Joshua โ an outlet. You can take a guy with nothing, clean them up and next thing heโs meeting the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of the UK. Itโs a great leveller.โ
Unified ???? #JoshuaKlitschko pic.twitter.com/MklRFGptiZ
โ Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) April 30, 2017
With his newly-acquired status as the number one fighter in the heavyweight division, Tyson believes Joshua is the only fighter fans will want to see and thinks a fight with WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder is not a good idea.
Tyson, now 50, explained: โWith what Joshua can bring now everyone will want to fight him because he is bringing the money to the table. After the Klitschko fight, nobody is going to want to watch Deontay Wilder or any of those guys. They wonโt pay for it, they want the best โ and the best is Joshua.
โI really donโt think Deontay Wilder would be a good fight for Joshua, Iโd much prefer to see him fight Mike Perez. He needs a couple more fights but that could be great to watch.โ