By: Sean Crose
Boxing is a brutal sport – a brutal, sometimes deadly sport. All fighters know that walking in, but there are those who have a hard time calling it a career, regardless. The desire to overstay one’s ring welcome can be particularly acute when the fighter in question has had a highly successful career. The list of fighters who hung in for too long a period of time is considerable. No one wants to see another fighter linger longer than he or she should. That’s why former heavyweight titlist and worldwide star Anthony Joshua should seriously consider retirement after suffering a crushing defeat at the gloved hands of Daniel Dubois last weekend in his native London.
Look, boxers get beaten up – sometimes badly. That’s not only a part of the sport, but it doesn’t guarantee a life of misery to the fighters who receive those beatings, either. Joshua, however, has now been beaten up numerous times – and by world class competition. While no one is saying Dubois and Andy Ruiz (who also scored a violent victory over Joshua back in 2019) are this generation’s Ali and Frazier, they are both world class professional combatants who faced and conquered Joshua while in peak form. Dubois and Ruiz aren’t tomato cans. Their punches do damage. And both men did considerable damage to Joshua.
Then there’s Joshua’s incredible fight against former great Wladimir Klitschko. Although he went on to win the match in brilliant fashion, Joshua was walloped by former great Klitschko so hard that he went down and nearly found himself finished. Again, the man took some damage during what turned out to be a classic slugfest. What this all means is that Joshua hasn’t only taken a lot of shots, he’s taken a lot of shots from the best in the business. I’ve long argued that boxing is not an immoral endeavor so long as the long term safety of the fighters is a top priority. Joshua may have one or two fights left in him, but now his long term safety is at risk. The guy’s simply taken too much damage to ignore reality.
Does this mean Joshua is going to retire? Perhaps not. Perhaps he will stick around and prove to the world he didn’t HAVE to retire. Finding out is a dangerous proposition for Joshua at this point, though. Here’s praying the guy makes the right choice.