Was Anthony Joshua facing off against Eric Molina on my fantasy wish list of fights I was dying to see in 2016? Was it on any fans particular list? No, not really, unless perhaps you are a die hard Eric Molina fan, as to which, unfortunately, there are not many. However, this is the bout that has been delivered and will be aired on Showtime in the US and Sky Sports Box Office PPV in the United Kingdom.
The public outrage amongst social media has been vast, over the past week or so I’ve been waiting and expecting this outcry, as I expected this bout to be made. I have my own gripes with this particular fight. It is on PPV, (In the United Kingdom) I understand that of course Joshua has a large fanbase and will likely clear 400,000 PPV buys easily, but that doesn’t necessarily make it right. Another is that it is technically classified as a world title fight, it most likely won’t be one that lives long in the memory from the same division that brought us matchups like Ali and Frazier, Holyfield and Bowe.
These factors make the main event seem rather dull to most hardened boxing fans. However, the one thing I don’t share is the outrage of the opponent, it is a let down no doubt that we have gone from potentially having Joshua face off against names like Pulev, Stiverne, Parker and then have to sit through negotiations with Team Klitschko to the end result being Eric Molina, but if we look at the full landscape I don’t think that this is particularly dire.
Anthony Joshua is preparing for his 18th bout and became IBF Heavyweight champion in his 16th bout due to getting a very quick and open invitation from the newly crowned Charles Martin. I think I can assume you’re with me that he shouldn’t have declined the offer. However, this shouldn’t really happen, but unfortunately, with four world titles at large in each division, it makes situations like this one much more susceptible. Now we have Anthony Joshua holding a world title at a point where you could legitimately say that he hasn’t actually fought somebody with the moniker of world class yet. This makes him what most people would describe as a “paper champion” as he hasn’t proven himself to be the real man within the division just yet and most knowledgeable fans dislike that fact.
However, in terms of natural progression for Anthony Joshua’s career and repeat the fact that it is only his 18th fight I think this is fine. You see comments flying around on social media such as “Anthony Joshua only faces bums” which frustrates me slightly, as in the beginning of big prospects careers they generally are pitted in against men they are believed to beat. Joshua as of yet is not a real champion of the division, (Though I’m not saying he can’t be in the future) but as he isn’t I am not truly expecting him to be fighting the best, however, that time is getting closer.
We can compare resume’s from most Heavyweight’s throughout recent history, Wladimir Klitschko, another Olympic gold medalist, in his 18th bout faced Everett Martin who’s record reads 20-21-1. Deontay Wilder, an Olympic bronze medalist and current WBC champion fought Dominique Alexander (20-11-1) in his 18th bout. The progression for Joshua has been extremely quick, so I don’t believe Joshua is “only fighting bums”, he’s actually progressing much faster than boxers generally do in their careers. The gripe is that it is for a world title, which devalues the meaning of world champion and that it is PPV, which should really only be for attractive looking bouts, this not being one of them.
Most will blame Eddie Hearn, some will blame Anthony Joshua, some even perhaps Molina, but I personally blame the landscape of boxing for allowing this to happen. One world title per division and we could be seeing Anthony Joshua Vs Eric Molina as a non-title bout with the winner taking a closer step to world honors, which would legitimately mean something. However, we have another case of a masked charade of a world title bout featuring one of the best prospects/contenders in the Heavyweight division facing one of its weaker contenders.
We can slam it for its unwarranted PPV, we can slam it for being a world title fight, but let’s not say this isn’t a generally decent fight considering where Anthony Joshua really is in his career. Forget the belt, it means nothing right now, it’s another fair step to Joshua getting closer to facing one of the other legitimate contenders for the actual crown of the Heavyweight division.
