Anthony Joshua's Boxing Journey - From Beginner to Champion

Anthony Joshua walked into Finchley Amateur Boxing Club in 2007 at age 18. He'd never boxed before. He was a talented footballer and sprinter, but boxing was completely new territory.

Five years later, on August 12, 2012, he stood on the Olympic podium at ExCeL London with a gold medal around his neck, having just beaten Italian Roberto Cammarelle in the super-heavyweight final.

By 2016, he was a world heavyweight champion. By 2017, he'd unified three major belts. All from a standing start at 18.

Joshua's journey shows what's possible when natural talent meets hard work, good coaching, and total commitment. It also shows that you don't need to start boxing as a child to reach the top.

The Beginning at Finchley ABC

Joshua grew up in Watford, Hertfordshire. He was a natural athlete, playing football and competing in sprinting. He actually held the Middlesex county record for the 100 metres as a teenager.

But life wasn't simple. Joshua had some run-ins with the law and spent time on remand in 2009. Boxing gave him structure and direction when he needed it most.

His cousin introduced him to Finchley ABC in North London. His first coach, Sean Murphy, saw something special immediately. Joshua was big, athletic, and willing to learn. More importantly, he was obsessed with getting better.

"He was like a sponge," Murphy later said. "Everything you told him, he absorbed and applied."

Within a year of starting, Joshua was competing. Within two years, he was winning national titles. The learning curve was ridiculous, but he put in the hours to make it happen.

The Amateur Career

Joshua's amateur record was remarkable for someone who started so late.

• 2010. Won the ABA Championships (super-heavyweight)
• 2011. Won silver at the World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan
• 2012. Won gold at the Olympic Games in London

That's three years from complete beginner to Olympic champion. It simply doesn't happen in boxing. Except it did.

The 2011 World Championships were significant. Joshua lost in the final to Magomedrasul Medzhidov, but he proved he belonged at the elite level. More importantly, it gave him experience of major international competition before the Olympics.

The London 2012 Olympics were on home soil, which added enormous pressure. Joshua handled it with surprising maturity for someone so inexperienced. He beat opponents from Cuba, China, and Kazakhstan before facing Cammarelle in the final.

That final was controversial. The bout went to a countback after the scores were tied. Joshua won 18-18 on count, meaning he landed slightly more scoring punches. It was close, but he got the decision.

Standing in the ring at ExCeL, gold medal around his neck, with a home crowd going mental, Joshua's life changed forever.

The Professional Transition

Joshua turned professional in July 2013, signing with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. Hearn would become one of the most influential figures in his career.

His pro debut came on October 5, 2013, at the O2 Arena. He knocked out Emanuele Leo in the first round. It set a pattern. Joshua stopped his first 15 opponents, none lasting past three rounds.

The knockouts were spectacular. Joshua at 6'6" and around 250 pounds was a frightening prospect for any heavyweight. His right hand carried genuine one-punch power, and he was landing it with increasing accuracy.

But questions remained. Could he box? Could he take a punch? Would he wilt against elite opposition? Those answers would come soon enough.

The World Title Run

On April 9, 2016, at the O2 Arena, Joshua faced Charles Martin for the IBF world heavyweight title. Martin had won the belt in strange circumstances (his opponent's injury) and was making his first defence.

It wasn't competitive. Joshua knocked Martin out in round two. At 26, he was a world heavyweight champion.

The IBF belt was just the start. On April 29, 2017, Joshua faced Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in front of 90,000 people. It remains one of the greatest heavyweight fights this century.

Joshua knocked Klitschko down in round five. But the Ukrainian legend got up and dropped Joshua in round six. For the first time, Joshua had been hurt badly in a professional fight. The questions about his chin were being asked in real-time.

Then he answered them.

Joshua recovered, steadied himself, and in round 11 dropped Klitschko twice more. The referee stopped it with Klitschko on the canvas. Joshua had added the WBA title to his IBF belt in the most dramatic circumstances imaginable.

Later that year, he added the WBO title by stopping Carlos Takam. By early 2018, he held three of the four major heavyweight belts.

The Setbacks

Joshua's career hasn't been all triumph. His losses have been public and painful.

On June 1, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Andy Ruiz Jr. handed Joshua his first professional defeat. Ruiz dropped him four times and the referee stopped it in round seven. The boxing world was stunned.

Joshua had been heavy favourite. Ruiz was a late replacement opponent. But Ruiz's hand speed and pressure overwhelmed Joshua on the night. It was humbling.

To his credit, Joshua didn't make excuses. He went back to basics, dropped weight, and met Ruiz in a rematch six months later in Saudi Arabia. This time, Joshua boxed cautiously, kept his distance, and won a clear decision over 12 rounds. He regained his three world titles.

Then came Oleksandr Usyk.

The Ukrainian southpaw outboxed Joshua twice, in September 2021 and August 2022. Both were unanimous decisions. Usyk's speed, movement, and ring intelligence were too much. Joshua simply couldn't solve the puzzle.

Those losses cost Joshua his world titles and raised questions about whether he'd ever reach the very top again. But they also showed his character. He didn't quit. He kept fighting, kept learning, and kept showing up.

What Amateur Boxers Can Learn

Joshua's journey offers real lessons for anyone starting boxing:

1. It's never too late to start

Joshua was 18 with zero boxing experience. That's late by elite standards. Many champions started at 8 or 10. But he proved that natural athleticism, combined with total commitment, can compress timelines dramatically.

If you're thinking you're too old to start boxing, you're almost certainly wrong.

2. Obsession with improvement matters

Joshua wasn't just training. He was obsessing. He studied footage, asked questions constantly, and applied every piece of feedback immediately. That hunger to improve accelerated his development massively.

3. Good coaching is worth finding

Sean Murphy at Finchley ABC saw Joshua's potential and knew how to develop it. Later, Rob McCracken with the GB Boxing squad polished his skills further. Joshua surrounded himself with people who could make him better.

Find the best coaches you can. Listen to them. Apply what they teach.

4. Physical attributes help, but they're not everything

Joshua is 6'6" with natural power. Those gifts opened doors. But plenty of big, powerful men never achieve anything in boxing because they lack the other ingredients: discipline, coachability, mental toughness, and work ethic.

Whatever physical gifts you have, maximise them through training. Whatever you lack, compensate through skill and conditioning.

5. Setbacks are part of the journey

Joshua lost to Ruiz. He lost twice to Usyk. Each time, he came back. The losses forced him to adapt, to evolve, and to prove his resilience.

You will lose fights. You will have bad training sessions. You will doubt yourself. That's normal. What matters is whether you quit or keep going.

The Legacy

At time of writing, Anthony Joshua remains one of the biggest names in world boxing. His 2017 fight with Klitschko is considered a modern classic. His journey from Finchley ABC to Wembley Stadium inspires amateur boxers across Britain.

He's also done enormous good outside the ring. His Finchley roots matter to him. He's invested in grassroots boxing and speaks openly about how the sport saved his life when he was heading in the wrong direction.

Not every amateur boxer will become a world champion. Obviously. But Joshua's story shows what's possible when someone commits fully to the sport. Starting late doesn't have to mean finishing early.

Getting Started Yourself

You don't need to be 6'6" or naturally athletic to benefit from boxing. The same principles that built Joshua's career work at every level:

• Find good coaching
• Show up consistently
• Stay hungry to improve
• Accept setbacks as part of the process
• Put in the work when nobody's watching

If you're in South East London and want to start your own boxing journey, come down to Honour & Glory for a free trial session. We'll show you the fundamentals and see if boxing's the right fit for you.

You might not become an Olympic champion. But you'll definitely become a better version of yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old was Anthony Joshua when he started boxing?

Joshua was 18 years old when he walked into Finchley Amateur Boxing Club for the first time in 2007. He had no previous boxing experience.

Did Anthony Joshua win Olympic gold?

Yes. Joshua won gold in the super-heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics, beating Roberto Cammarelle in the final on a countback after the scores were tied.

How many world titles has Anthony Joshua won?

Joshua has held the IBF, WBA, WBO, and IBO heavyweight titles during his career. He first won the IBF title in 2016 and unified three belts by defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2017.

What is Anthony Joshua's professional record?

As of early 2025, Joshua has 28 wins (25 by knockout) and 4 losses in his professional career. His losses came against Andy Ruiz Jr. (avenged in rematch) and Oleksandr Usyk (twice).