No one out there to put Josh to test
ANTHONY JOSHUA is between a rock and a hard place in Cardiff, defending his WBA and IBF belts against a fighter who few beyond the boxing priesthood had heard of a week ago.
Carlos Takam is not the worst, but neither is he the best. It is nobody’s fault. Losing Kubrat Pulev was unfortunate but these things happen.
Takam is 36 years old with three defeats and a draw in 39 fights. Since losing to Joseph Parker last year he has fought twice against opponents with a combined 15 defeats.
I’m not disrespecting him, but we have to accept he is not in Joshua’s class. Then again neither is Pulev.
And this is the wider problem facing Joshua and the heavyweight division right now.
There is just no one out there capable of giving him the kind of test presented by Wladimir Klitschko.
WBC champion Deontay Wilder (above) is a danger, sure, but he makes more mistakes than Joshua, who is not the finished article either.
Wilder can punch but has big gaps in his defence and fights recklessly. We saw from the damage wrought by Joshua at Wembley against Klitschko how difficult he is to resist.
If Tyson Fury can ever get his act together there is an obvious date with destiny there, but there have to be serious doubts about that.
You would hope that someone will emerge but unfortunately the great industrial cities of the American midwest and east coast are no longer producing great heavyweights. The big men that might once have walked into a boxing gym see their futures in other athletic pursuits like American football.
While you might earn the GDP of a small country as heavyweight champion like Joshua, the prospect of a steady $10million a year playing tight end or running back is seen as a better bet.
Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and George Foreman to bring the greatness out of him.
At least Joshua has had one legacy bout with Klitschko, a great fight that ticked all the boxes.
They put on a great show, revealing guts as well as flaws. And, like all great champions, Joshua climbed off the deck to finish it explosively.
That put him at the centre of the boxing universe, broadcasting his name around the world, while bringing great kudos and attention to these shores.
He will keep Takam on his feet as long as he feels it necessary, ruthlessly take him out, then start planning for 2018.