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At his peak, Anthony Joshua held the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles. Despite being one of the most feared boxers in recent years, several stories claim that the former champion often suffers in his sparring sessions, in which he has been knocked down more than once.
Joshua turned professional in 2013 and since then has a record of 28 wins, 25 by knockout, and three losses. His punching power is not in doubt, but it has not always pulled him off. If the rumors are true, his next opponent, Daniel Dubois, gave him trouble in training.
There has long been a tale in the boxing world that Dubois dropped or knocked Joshua during sparring. Speaking to talkSPORT.com, Anthony Fowler confirmed the story, saying Dubois had turned Joshua's legs to "jelly," but was unable to get him down.
Who did knock the former champion down?
Although Dubois failed to send Joshua to the canvas, Fowler claims two boxers who did. "I Ivan Dychko dropped Joshua, and David Price knocked Joshua down really heavily, he really hurt Joshua," Joshua's former teammate on the British Olympic boxing team said.
Fowler claimed Dychko, a 6'9" giant, faced Joshua in a sparring session ahead of the London 2012 Olympics. "That Kazakh lad [Dychko] dropped him once, but it was more of a flash knockdown. And Dubois hurt him as well," Fowler recalled.
Joshua himself confirmed Price's story, but the anecdote about Dychko is completely new. "He was sparring before the Olympics. Joshua was loading up and I think he got caught with a one-two and it was a flash knockdown. Not many people were there, it was just a spar but I it" Fowler detailed.
AJ's vengeance
In the end, Dychko's brief victory did not matter. The two rivals met again in the semi-finals of the Olympic tournament and the Briton took a points victory, with a score of 13-11, and then beat Italian Roberto Cammarelle in the final.
It is often said that history tends to repeat itself. At least that is what Anthony Joshua hopes for on the way to his fight against Dubois on September 21 at Wembley Stadium in London, England. If Joshua repeats the feat, he will regain the IBF heavyweight belt and rescind Dubois' bragging rights.